


Antumbra

by chinarai



Category: The Legend of Zelda, The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
Genre: F/M, tp zelink, zelink
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-11-28
Updated: 2015-09-21
Packaged: 2018-02-27 07:42:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 21
Words: 75,213
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2684774
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chinarai/pseuds/chinarai
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Shadow and light, two coexistent sides of the same coin, united in holy matrimony. || Giftfic for Calvin (zeldawiiu on tumblr)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello again guys!
> 
> Here is the thing I was talking about, my newest project and a birthday gift for my bby, Calvin!! (zeldawiiu on tumblr, go wish him a happy birthday will you)
> 
> TP Zelink as usual, though the title works well for Midzel/Midlink, too. This is the prologue, the first chapter comes later tonight and there are at least 28 more chapters to read. Whew
> 
> Have fun guys! Review if you could, please!
> 
> Happy Birthday, Calvin! Love you bby!

* * *

**Prologue**

* * *

Only those close to His Majesty knew all details pertaining the guest’s presence in the sacred land of Hyrule. Councilmen that had once whispered and argued among themselves in search for a solution, now stood solemnly across the tall open windows, faces as composed as the mood would let them.

Wind ruffled the long burgundy curtains, the dying light of the sun giving an orange hue to all things it could touch. The King bowed at the neck before the presence of the other, who mimicked the gesture, and with a gesture of the Hylian’s hand the other was invited to take a seat. Pleasantries were voiced despite the tense atmosphere that had been hanging over their heads for the past decades, careful and small smiles that held no happiness whatsoever curved both rulers’ lips, and the small stack of paper was placed in the middle of the table, signaling the end.

The end of years and years of grudge and dislike. Always in the brink of war, but never making it to the part that required bloodshed, both kings had finally come to a conclusion together and agreed to do something that would change the fate of both civilizations.

Two quills, one white, one black, were placed by their hands, symbolizing the light and the dark. Tips were dipped in blue ink then dragged across the surface of the paper, curving lines into letters and molding words, each ruler signing their name where required. As a last act, each reached for a dagger hidden in the confines of their coats and upon exchanging them, they slashed the tips of their thumbs, the cut quickly reddening with blood that was pressed on paper and left a mark by the end of their names.

Light had finally become scarce, prompting one servant to walk about the room lightning up a series of candles as the two at the center wiped their blades clean and hid it from sight. Standing from their seats, their uninjured hands met in the middle for a shake, and the King of Hyrule guided the other to the grand doors at the entrance of his castle, the councilmen tailing behind as their guest, and now ally, commented on the decoration and complimented the kingdom.

Upon reaching the entrance, they were met with the sole heir of the Hylian throne as she returned from the gardens accompanied by her caretaker. The other king lowered himself to one knee and touched his palm to the crown of her head, pale lips pulling in a smile that was returned by her. “You will love it there, Your Highness.” The princess only smiled and nodded, uninformed and oblivious to the contract they had just signed, and walked up to her father as the other ruler increased the distance between both races.

The Hylian king bowed his head in return as the other did the same, hands coming to rest on his daughter’s shoulders as the man before them decomposed into black pieces from head to toe, all of which flew up towards a circle in the sky.

As the portal shrunk and eventually disappeared, His Majesty allowed himself to breathe properly again.

The only thing left to do now was wait for twenty years.


	2. i: Saros

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey hey!
> 
> The second chapter is here~ Things will truly start happening next chap, but I couldn't just skip to it. Don't want to leave the genre as romance/general but I really don't know if you can put this under drama. Maybe yes, we'll see how it goes.  
> All chapters are named after a solar eclipse term. You can find the complete list on NASA's website, and just some of the titles actually have something to do with what happens, so don't stress trying to fit it under the definition haha (and just so you know, I don't understand 70% of them weh)
> 
> I'll try to update it weekly! Currently, I'm on chapter eleven, almost starting chap twelve!
> 
> Enjoyyy!  
> You're the best! Enjoy BH6!

* * *

  **Saros**

* * *

_The periodicity and recurrence of solar (and lunar) eclipses is governed by the Saros cycle, a period of approximately 6,585.3d (18yr 11d 8h). When two eclipses are separated by a period of one Saros, they share a very similar geometry. The eclipses occur at the same node with the Moon at nearly the same distance from Earth and at the same time of year. Thus, the Saros is a useful tool for organizing eclipses into families or series. Each series typically lasts 12 or 13 centuries and contains 70 or more eclipses._

* * *

 Zelda found out about her fate one afternoon when she was twelve, when she snuck into her father’s private study searching for that elegant paper she loved to write a letter for Prince Ralis, Queen Rutela’s first son and the crown prince of Zora’s Domain. On the following day, it would be his fourth birthday and she wanted to give the young boy something made by her along with the gift they got for him.

The papers were usually in the second drawer, but this time she did not find them there, and after searching further, she found them in the last drawer to the left, buried at the bottom under everything else. She removed the pile with care, and with it came one envelope of a nice creamy color and good texture, just perfect for her letter. Opening it to see if it was empty, she found out it was not; inside a document could be found and she would have ignored it if her name were not written in the first paragraph in one of the council members’ handwriting.

Curiosity got the best of her and she did one of the things she would have never done in other circumstances, but if it pertained her, she needed to know just what that was. Zelda unfolded the document gingerly and skimmed through it, afraid she would be caught by her father if he decided to show up in that moment. The information written there sent a wave of shock through her body and her father’s signature at the bottom, accompanied by a foreign one, only made her feel weak. Hastily, she returned the paper to the envelope and shoved it in the drawer before taking the ones she came after, and left the room in a blur of pink chiffon, legs shaking and heart in frenzy, leaping at the base of her throat. Safe in her room, she left the pile on her bed and sat beside it, feeling her muscles tensing and locking in place as her once comforting pastel walls loomed over her shrunk figure.

How bad was that? To marry off your daughter to a complete stranger’s son? Worse, to sign a paper as if she was some sort of good that could be traded or sold, instead of a person with feelings and a mind of her own? She knew there was a big chance she would never marry the man she wanted, but to do this was extremely heart breaking. Troubled blue eyes stared at the carpet of her room, fingers curling inwards and taking the fabric of her delicate dress with them. Tears burned behind her eyes, the young princess gritted her teeth as her throat worked and her shoulders shook, she told herself not cry, and that was exactly what she did. Swallowing down her tears, Zelda rubbed her eyes and did what she had planned to do all along; sitting by her desk, she wrote to Ralis in shaking letters, drew him a little doodle of them together in sloppy, uneven lines, then wrote an extra letter, telling him of all the things she found out. He was too young to understand it now, but he would at some point and then they could talk about that properly then.

She tried to avoid her father for the remainder of the day and would have succeeded if he had not appeared in her bedroom that night with a stern look on his face. He told her how his papers were missing, but what concerned him most was that  _that_  document was wrinkled all over the place. Upon questioning her, Zelda remained silent, eyes fixed on the deep purple comforter; there was no point denying it, he already knew it was her, who else would it be? Frowning, he started speaking, saying how disappointed he was that she had rummaged through his things like that, and very bravely, she replied.

“I am very disappointed that you sold me off like that.”

Her father looked at her in disbelief, then opened his mouth to speak but she had already lied own and turned her back to him, leaving the peeved man with only her silence as a sample of her feelings. She did not know for how long more he stayed there, but at some point, he left quietly, feet almost dragging on the floor. Immediately, once the door had closed behind him, she sat up and got out of bed, making her way in the dark to a pillow in the corner of the room where she kneeled down. Running her right thumb in a triangle shape over her chest, she prayed to the Goddesses for their guidance, then talked to her mother that rested somewhere in the Sacred Realm, not aware that the king spied her through the keyhole.

A few months later, the smiling princess was only a shadow of what she had once been. Many said it was part of her training to become a good ruler, others insisted something had happened that made her so terribly distant looking. Her father constantly tried to talk to her, but her replies were short and straight to the point; small talk was an unknown concept in her vocabulary and the only person she showed part of her true self was her only friend, the Zora prince, and sometimes to his mother, who constantly worried over her new personality. From that moment on, Zelda spent the majority of her day studying and simply busying herself, losing track of time, but successfully distracting her mind at times.

When Ralis turned ten and was old enough to understand how the mind of a ruler worked, he showed his mother the letter Zelda gave him for his fourth birthday back then. The Queen, surprised at what she found out, got into a heated discussion with the king the next time they met, before all other race leaders of Hyrule, the Goron and the representatives of Ordon. He had decided to wed his daughter to the youngest son of the Twili king without having all council members present. He was dispatching his daughter and giving her off to the enemy’s son. That lasted for hours, leaving all leaders and councilmen spent and it was known as the worst meeting during his time as king. The Princess, sitting poised by her chair beside her father’s, said nothing throughout the ordeal, though she was glad they stood up for her and did not side with him.

By the time Zelda was twenty-one, she knew the day was coming. Word had reached her ears that her future husband (the word made her cringe inwardly) was three years her junior, thus meaning she would marry at the age of twenty-four. Preparations had started to be made; she was presented with various croquis and models of wedding dresses, she tried some, rejected others, chose the materials that could be used, but these things only made her feel worse. Years had passed and she was not used to the idea yet. Zelda ordered that the preparations be delayed for another two years and refused to speak about the topic in the meantime as she tried to prepare herself mentally for it.

On the last year left, she tried to put more effort into it. As a parting gift, the Zora had given her their finest white silk, one that shimmered like nacre under the light, and the Goron presented her with various stones to use in her dress and new crown that was to be made, forged with the gold given by the Ordonians. It was with great sadness that she accepted their gifts, one that she could not conceal this time, and she pretended not to see the way they glanced at her when she left to resume looking through more models to choose.

Now, Zelda was standing just outside the double doors that would lead her to the altar. She had been disappointed to find that the wedding would be held in the Twilight Realm, but upon discoveringthey were extremely sensitive to the light, she accepted it quietly. Sad that she never even got the chance to meet the man (the only information ever given to her was his name that, honestly, did not sound like a name at all), the princess could only wait to see if she would pull through all of this.

Twili maids fixed her dress and long veil, and passed her the bouquet of blue orchids tinted especially for this occasion. Zelda held it with both hands, refusing to hold her father’s until the moment came. From inside the room she heard a piano and a few chords being played, and shakily she looped her arm through the king’s.

Once the violins started playing, the doors opened, and her heart jumped in her ribcage.

* * *

King Ardian of Twilight Realm told his wife and eldest daughter that the deal was done. While he had suggested that they married their children, he himself was skeptical about that, but the Hyrulean king had accepted the proposal without thinking twice and the promise of peace sounded too good to be ignored. Queen Elliét assented with her head, a trouble look adorning her pretty face, and ran her hand through her daughter’s fiery orange hair, Princess Midna, whilst saying she should help her brother warm up to the idea. Midna was not too pleased with this decision, but if it was for the good of the people, what could she do?

Link was just one year old when the document was signed and he grew up oblivious to it, until he got to the age of nine and his parents started talking about marriage to his sister, but more often than necessary asked for his opinions and tastes. A young boy like him, who enjoyed sneaking out and doing boyish things, was not supposed to feel attraction to anyone, and he doubted Midna, who was six years older, liked someone to the point of wanting to marry them. He knew they would talk to her often about it. She was the crown princess after all and would take the throne because laws stated the firstborn child, regardless of their gender, was the rightful leader of their kingdom. She would be the first to marry, too.

The prince was eleven when his sister revealed to him what his parents had in store for him, and he did not take it kindly. Angered, he stormed into his parents’ bedroom and yelled, asked for an explanation and broke some furniture in his tirade. Midna stood by the door as their parents tried to calm her brother down and get him to listen, but he was too worked up to hear what they had to say. Afraid the whole castle would wake up and know of the things planned for his son’s future, Ardian ordered him to shut up and gave the boy the same speech he gave his daughter, only he sounded much colder and serious now. Link did not stay to listen and stormed off the room as his father spoke, tears burning in his blue eyes, and his sister went after him after giving the king a dirty look, calling for her younger sibling with the promise of sneaking into the kitchen to get some leftover dessert.

It took him so long to accept it. He had resorted to reading books to find out more about the Hylians, for he heard his wife was supposed to be one, but there were very few  _good_  things written about them. Most information pertained to wars and how they used the Twilight Realm as a place where they could ban the worst of criminals forever and now knowing that he could be one of their descendants Link felt sick in the stomach. Midna found him in the library one day as he, in a rage fit, threw the book at the wall and screamed at it, half expecting it to scream back in defense. Upon being asked what was wrong, he told her what he found out about their past and the Hylians, and the princess’s red eyes fell on the book as she took it all in. She corrected him and said they were descendants of people called the Interlopers, whomever they were, that the Golden Goddesses banned to the Twilight Realm. Scrunching up his nose at the newly acquired information, the young prince decided on the spot that if the Goddesses were truly benevolent, they would have not done that to his ancestors; therefore, he saw no reason to pray for them anymore and refused to believe they truly existed. Not really what the princess had been expecting.

Days later, Midna told him that they could hate on Hylians all they wanted. Their past actions were unforgiving, true, but she asked him to treat the Princess of Hyrule as his equal until they found out more of her personality. Link, as usual, protested.

“We can’t treat her badly without a motive. I know she’s a Hylian, but maybe she’s not that bad.”

Link was fifteen and he still did not know how to feel about his future wife. He could not condemn her for the things her ancestors did, or could he? She was a Hylian; she was part of the people that shunned their criminals to his realm as if it was a garbage can. However, he did admit that the explanation Midna gave him (and they constantly discussed that) did make some sense; they could not threat her badly until they found out more about her. What if they were mean to her and she turned out to be nice? Then they would be the villains and he could not accept that! But if she did not like them, then they could reciprocate it, and everything would be a war without bloodshed. Five discussions later and he accepted that condition; he would give her two months to decide just how she would be treated based on her personality.

Two years later he found out his sister was being courted by some noble whose title did not concern him. The guy was tall, taller than Midna and much taller than him, the shortest of the family; he seemed to be a nice guy, though, albeit a bit paranoid and jumpy. Oftentimes he would seem cool and collected, then something would happen and his voice would pitch high and he would become agitated. Link wondered just what his sister saw in him, but she looked at the man (Zant, he believed) in such a way that made him feel uncomfortable. It was not because her eyes were filled with love and she looked incredibly stupid, it was because never once in his life Link stopped to think that this would never happen to him. The chances of his wife loving him like this were minimal, and he doubted he would ever fall for her. He could be happy with any Twili, but here he was being used like a pawn in a game of chess his father was playing.

Despite that, he could not bring himself to hate the man.

By the time he was nineteen, his sister and the duke were walking down the aisle, both dressed in black. Link watched the scene mutely, wondering how his wedding would be like and imagining how she would look like. His father did not say much, only that the last time he had seen her she had shoulder length hair and large blue eyes; that was the only description of her he was given and it was not enough.

On the following year, Link had already grown tired of the idea of marrying her. With his wedding already knocking on his door, he found himself angry and snappy, and he would always express how displeased and unhappy he was at the thought of marrying a stranger. He tried to get his father to cancel it, but it was too late for going back now. The prince could only rely on his sister to listen to him, and she would do so patiently, until her patience started wearing thin and she would tell him to  _suck it up already_. It was Zant who reassured him it would not be that bad; Link did not need to spend the whole day with the girl, only meet her to have their meals and then share the room at night, but luckily the bed was big enough so they would not be too close. That was enough to put out some of his anger.

Link stood at the altar, hands clasped behind his back and a solemn look on his face. The day had come and fleeing was not an option anymore. To the right of the room, in the front row of seats, were his sister and brother-in-law, and behind them were most part of their relatives, cousins and aunts and uncles that came over to witness the moment. Behind him stood his parents, eyes focused on the closed doors waiting for his fiancée to enter. On the opposite side occupying only the first row were the most exquisite of creatures he had ever seen, all from Hyrule. There was a woman with white and coral colored skin, who had presented herself as Rutela, Queen of the Zora, whoever they were. Sitting was a young boy with a striking resemblance to her, and Link could only guess he was her son, and beside him sat a group of rock-like beings with tribal paintings across their torsos; Goron, they had said. The most normal looking were four beings with rosy colored skin, the ones that very loosely resembled Twili; these were the humans.

In an alcove to the right were a pianist and a quartet of chords, just starting to play another song. As two Twili moved closer to the doors separating the Twilight prince and the Light princess, Link wondered if the girl was normal looking.


	3. ii: Annular Eclipse

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heeello!
> 
> I drew some concept art to accompany this - they're not masterpieces for I decided to line and color them in the last moment, but you can get an idea of what they look like in this chapter and their overall appearances. I'll put links on my profile, but if it takes too long to update, just go to my art tumblr (chinarai.tumblr.com) and it should be the first post you'll see. 
> 
> I noticed that as the story goes, I like the chapters more. The first chapters are always awkward and weird for me to write and read afterwards, maybe because the story is just starting to develop. From this one you'll get the basic idea of how they'll act.
> 
> Forgot to mention this before, but Ardian and Elliét aside, there's another major OC, but he's a nice guy, you'll like him. He should appear in two chapters or so. 
> 
> Anywaaayyy, have a nice reading!
> 
> Love you, bby!

* * *

**Annular Eclipse**

* * *

_A solar eclipse in which the Moon's antumbral shadow traverses Earth (the Moon is too far from Earth to completely cover the Sun). During the maximum phase of an annular eclipse, the Sun appears as a blindingly bright ring surrounding the Moon._

* * *

If her father had not squeezed her hand, Zelda would not have moved.

Sucking in a sharp and shallow breath, she let herself be guided down the aisle, eyes sweeping around the room and taking it all in. Like most rooms of the Palace of Twilight, this one had a unique complexity; grey walls with light blue patterns that emitted a mysterious glow. The outside and inside of the building were angular and with little decoration; furniture and carpets were simple and clean, much different from the detailed ones she was so used in seeing, but it all went along very well with the perpetual twilight that fell over the land. The majority of the people present, all staring at her, were natives of that realm, most of which she guessed were part of the higher class; she tried not to meet anyone’s gaze and avoided even the only familiar faces that stood at the front. By accident, she caught sight of the rulers of Twilight and thought in the back of her mind that it was about time she finally looked at the one who would soon be her husband.

He was different from most Twili she crossed paths with; she guessed that, the higher their status, the more complex their features were. His visible skin was light blue and grey, the sclera of his eyes was yellow and his irises were blue, his hair was dirty blond and unkempt, fringe parted to the left side of his face and hiding half of his golden crown. His ears were like ones of a Hylian, though longer and thinner and ragged around the edges. Clad in only a black tunic, a heavy black robe was draped over his form and tied at his hips with a golden chain; the sleeves were as long as the robe itself, and the inner side, just like the characteristic Twili patterns present on his legs as well, was blue. A long tabard was pinned to the front of his tunic and held back by the chain, its dark shade of grey contrasting with the royal markings there that matched the ones drawn on the wall behind the altar. What they lacked in decoration they compensated in these angular lines and circles, she mused. His feet, like all other Twili’s present, were bare of any cloth or shoes.

In the back of her mind, she remembered his name: Link. He stared at her with intensity, held her eyes just as steadily as his chest expanded and contracted. They both looked at each other with serious, if not indifferent, expressions, just watching and examining from afar, trying to guess as much of the other as possible through stares. From her peripheral vision, she could see his parents murmuring to each other, then for a moment she allowed herself to glance Rutela’s way and returned the small smile without exactly thinking. The Zora Queen had been the one to show more concern at the idea of an arranged political marriage than all other leaders of Hyrule, even coming close to opposing it most of the times, and for that Zelda knew she saw her more like a person than only as a future ruler.

The eye contact lasted for only one intake of breath and the Hyrulean princess was once again facing forward, but not looking at the man waiting for her. Instead, she focused her gaze on the wall ahead of her and thought of the flowers in her hand, of her new room she had the chance to see, of the chests piled by the closet door and the numerous pillows that were placed by the headboard. She thought of anything but the rings and the Twili prince and the permanent twilight that would greet her every morning and every night, and with her mind elsewhere the walk down the aisle ended faster, but did not feel as bad like in the beginning.

Rutela stepped in closer and offered a hand in which Zelda placed the blue tinted orchids. They regarded each other in silence, fighting back sad looks as the king congratulated the man beside her, and the queen touched her fingers to her cheek, thumb pulling at the corner of her lips. With a smile that lasted only half a second, the princess lowered her head and allowed the Zora to place a kiss on her forehead, right on the cold blue jewel of her new circlet. Zelda’s father smiled brightly at her once she turned in his direction and placed her hand on Link’s, backing away to the side to stand by Rutela and offering her an arm. Two pairs of blue eyes studied the joined hands before they were invited to kneel down before the priest, and Zelda was fine with how she did not miss her father’s touch at all.

* * *

It was like seeing light, bright and unforgiving light.

Link thought of jokingly shielding his eyes, but his family and all guests could misunderstand it. It was not that she was not pleasant to look at, but the dress she wore was all white and she was the only one dressed in that color too. She stood out in a dark room filled with people clad in dark colors, and he doubted she had done it on purpose. Something told him it was a tradition of her world, to dress their brides in white, the color of the light and good – but here, white meant bad luck. To wear white on your wedding day was the same as saying she would rather be dead.

Keeping his face carefully composed, he studied her form further.

The long sleeved dress fit her nicely, outlined all curves of her body until it reached her mid thighs and opened about her in a circle; its bodice was studded with countless crystals that sparkled under the light, adding more to the feel of looking at the sun. Brown hair fell in waves behind her back, except for two locks that framed her face one on each side, and the golden circlet on her head had one lonely sapphire on the center accompanied by smaller ones equally distanced, bluer than the color of her eyes. Her skin was fair, a lighter shade than the humans’, and the only visible difference between the two races were her pointed ears. When she was beside him and turned to the Zora, he noticed her veil was completely embroidered and stretched on behind her almost endlessly, but there was no time left to look at it with her father talking to him in poorly developed Twili.

He forced a smile as the Hylian took his hand firmly in his and patted his shoulder with the other, telling him to take care of the princess, Zelda, and other things Link did not bother to pay attention. His hand was soon replaced by his daughter’s, who looked down at the space between them with a faraway look in her eyes that got his mind reeling for a second, but the priest’s voice broke him from his trance and slowly he lowered himself to his knees, hand never releasing hers. Her skin was soft and warm, and tentatively he ran his thumb across the back of her hand once, feeling its texture. It seemed as if air had replaced her, for she seemed to be holding back the weight of her hand instead of letting him support it, not to mention she was as motionless and silent as one could be.

Halfway through the speech, she shifted and his eyes darted in her direction curiously. She brought her left hand up to her chest and let the thumb stick out as she drew a triangle over her bosom, starting from the bottom, then going left, up in a diagonal, down to the starting point, then finally dragging it to the middle to let it linger there. With closed eyelids, her mouth worked, but no sounds escaped, and Zelda silently spoke to herself whilst he tried to read her lips, but nothing made sense and there were words he did not recognize, meaning it could only be Hylian. For the first time, he was faced with the possibility that he would have to live with someone who did not know his mother language and the idea of having to teach her was enough to shed him of nearly all patience he had left. The ceremony could not go any slower.

As soon as she was done and her eyes opened, the priest told them to stand and face each other. After taking the rings from within a black cloth, he passed one golden band to Link, who slipped it on her finger, and the other to Zelda, who did the same, no words or vows or even glances exchanged. Their left hands and the black cloth were dipped in a bowl of ice-cold water, and while the priest wrapped the wet fabric tightly around their hands, both of hers between both of his, the prince realized she was taller than he was and possibly taller than her father too. Not as tall as Midna or Zant, but still taller, and he was once again the shortest of the family. He had hopes the princess would be shorter; his sister would mock him for the rest of his life.

The priest said a few more words before slashing a golden dagger through the dark cloth, thus freeing their hands. Link took her cold left hand in his and both youths turned to face the room. He really wanted to look at his family before walking down the aisle to the reception hall, he really did, but the young Zora prince was standing by the door with a box held at eye level and clicking one button repeatedly. That act confused him immensely, but Zelda, he noted, smiled sadly at the kid.

* * *

They sat together on a table on an upper level, all other guests down a couple of steps and talking before dinner was served. Zelda constantly examined her left hand, fingers stiff, and for a moment Link let himself believe it was the ring that bothered her, but then she covered the appendage with her veil, and he could not help but scoff at her. She calmly glanced at him and he looked into her blue eyes void of any emotion for a long moment before speaking. “Is it cold?”

“Yes,” her voice was firm, yet soft, as she spoke, “it is.”

“I doubt your veil will help much.” His wife looked down at her hand then placed the other upon it, to shield it from his sight or to simply warm it up, he did not know. Soon she was watching the people down below, more specifically the Zora kid, who never strayed too far from his mother and stole glances at the newlywed princess.

Link rolled his eyes and motioned with two fingers, calling for a servant, and whispered a quick order to him before going back to secretly staring at the woman beside him. She did not move an inch, she only breathed and blinked and occasionally glanced another way and never said anything. Was that the way she was or was she ignoring him? His patience was hanging on a thread; if the rest of their marriage would be like this, he would find a way to annul it. Alliances be damned, he would not spend the rest of his life beside a breathing statue.

His fingers curled inwards towards his palm and the servant soon approached the table hesitantly, feeling his superior’s anger wafting off him in waves. He silently left a bowl on the tabletop and backed away with a polite bow, nearly bending himself in half as he went his way. Link, after pinching the bridge of his nose and trying to regain control over his breathing, pushed the utensil in her direction, which immediately caught her attention. “It is warm water,” the confused look left her face and she nodded once, pulling it closer.

“Thank you,” her eyes met his as she replied and she dipped her hand into the water, shoulders instantly relaxing and right hand opening in her lap. So far, most things said were basic words, yet they were spoken more correctly than the ones pronounced by her father before the ceremony. Link cast the man in question a glance, only to find him talking to his parents; they knew Hylian and were fluent in so, he was not surprised in the least to see them talking. They were probably the only ones who could understand him and the princess, and they would probably serve her as translator. Why could they not have prepared themselves for this?

Zelda removed her hand from within the bowl and used a napkin to meticulously wipe her skin, and Link spoke as she struggled to take off her wedding ring. “It is no use.” Once again she looked at him; well, at least she looked his way when he was talking, it could be worse. “It is a special kind of metal. It constricts around your finger when it is dipped into cold water. You cannot take it off.” He half expected her to look confused, but to his surprise, she nodded in understanding and replied with a simple  _I see_ , then glanced down and proceeded to wipe around the ring carefully. Link sighed and leaned back on his chair, glad that she could at least understand what he was saying. Maybe he would not need to teach her anything.

All guests were invited to seat as Elliét and Ardian went up the short staircase towards the newlywed couple, followed by the Hylian king, and they were formally introduced then, among hugs and smiles, but Link noticed as his wife tensed whenever the king, Daphnes, touched her or merely glanced her way. Her small smiles were reserved only for his parents and the Zora, and her father could only have indifferent glances, which made Link realize that the impassive eyes that looked at him at times held more emotion than when they focused on the man. But Daphnes was either oblivious to it, or he just pretended not to realize, for he never once flinched or looked sad and his broad grin never left his face.

The Twili rulers stepped closer to the railing, flutes of drink in hands that were brought by the same servant as before, and they said a short speech before passing the word to the Hyrulean king, who declined it politely with a shake of his head, and then to Link and Zelda, who glanced at each other as if lost. He hesitated for a moment, but she had already made her mind and took two glasses from the table, then passed one to him once they were standing where his parents previously were. Link looked down at the bubbly liquid as if hoping it would tell him what he could say, but it was Zelda who spoke, loud and clear and with all finesse and class of a ruler.

“I am honored to be the one chosen to marry Prince Link. To live in Twilight will be an experience that only few can have and I am overjoyed to know I will have the opportunity to enjoy it to its fullest. I hope from this union blooms a lasting alliance, and all prejudgments will be erased. May Light and Twilight live forever in peace.” Then she proceeded to say the speech again, this time in Hylian for those who did not understand. Link was truly impressed at her Twili, she was better than he had expected; his amusement must have shown on his face for Midna was smirking at him from her seat downstairs and he scowled at her in response.

Once she was finished, Zelda touched her free hand to her bosom and bowed her head in reverence and gratitude, then lifted the flute into the air whilst her back straightened and repeated her wishes for peace aloud, which were followed by a choir of people who said it themselves, and flutes clinked all over the room before the guests sipped their drinks. She turned and touched her glass to his with a slight smile and he returned it in kind as he led her back to the table, and finally dinner was served.

* * *

Turns out the smile she gave him was the same one she had kept on her face while talking to all those invited to the wedding.

Together they walked to his chambers, their chambers, after a quick formal introduction of his sister and brother-in-law to her, and a long time of saying farewells before the Hyruleans finally departed back to where they belonged. Link stuck by her side as Goron after Zora after human went up to her and shared a few words, a few hugs and touches of hands to her shoulders, pats on his back and smiles. He watched their interaction feeling rather bored and out of place, seeing as none of the words spoken made sense to him, but Zelda was kind enough to translate whatever was said to him to Twili, he would reply politely, and she would translate it again.

Her father was meant to be the last one to talk, but the Zora Queen and her son approached the now married woman one more time. Rutela embraced the Hylian and whispered things he could not quite understand as she combed her brown hair from under the veil, and Zelda only replied with short nods of her head and a word or two; Link thought he heard her sniffing, but he could not be sure. Once they parted, his wife turned her attention to the young prince, who ran into her arms and wept on her shoulder, and she only held him close, not saying anything. Link was then approached by Rutela, who, upon touching her hand to his bicep and looking down at him, pleaded in a quiet tone.

“Please, look after Zelda.”

Her words still bothered him, even after half an hour had gone by. Not even the king’s words were filled with so much emotion, to see the Zora caring so deeply for the princess made him wonder just how deep their story went. Link wanted to ask, he wanted to inquire and know all bits of her past just because, he wanted to know why her father’s presence, words and touch put her on the edge, but Zelda fell back to silence after they left and made no efforts to speak to him, just like he made no moves to strike up a conversation with her. Truthfully, the moment she had spoken the most was when she was making that speech, and that was it; her sentences consisted of five words at a maximum, and though she held all emotions back, she still seemed to have that distant look in her eyes. What was there to do to help?

The doors to his room opened and he let her go in first, watching as she went for the chests piled by the left side of the chambers. Silently, he lowered each one to the floor and lined them against the wall, then walked across the open space to the other side, where he deposited the golden chain and black robe inside a drawer of his walk-in closet. When he returned dressed in his pajamas, Zelda was standing before the full body mirror, fingers ghosting over the crystals and fabric of her dress, unblinking eyes trained on her reflection and lips just slightly parted, and she stood there for a long while, just watching and slowly moving her hand over her limbs and torso. Link walked to his bed, now made for two, and picked a side to sleep, pulling back the comforters and sheets and settling comfortably there; as he imagined an invisible line tracing the middle of the bed, she moved and entered the adjacent bathroom to her side of the room.

He really did not want to interact much with her for now, but he was not going to be rude or disrespectful either, so he waited for a couple of minutes as she changed and did whatever she needed to do in there, and after a while she emerged, dressed in a long nightgown, with wedding dress on a hanger that she set beside the mirror for the night. While she prepared her side of the bed to sleep, Link noticed the slight stress line between her eyebrows, barely visible under the dim light of the candles. Knowing exactly well what was going in her mind, he blew out the candle on his bedside table and lowered his back to the bed. “I am not going to touch you.”

Perhaps it was his words, perhaps it was the way he said it, she stilled and held her breath, but soon regained her composure and resumed pulling back the sheets and choosing a pillow that fitted her likings. Link rolled to his side as she slipped under the covers, and before blowing out her candle, she spoke. “Goodnight, Prince Link.”

He replied with a grunt and the room was engulfed by darkness.


	4. iii: Umbra

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heeeyy!
> 
> Thank you for the feedback! I answered them on the last minute, but I did! I would like to talk about something, though, nothing bad. Astercia's review made me realize something; this is what they said:
> 
> "Wouldn't it be better for them to live in Hyrule? I know that you said the Twili are sensitive to the light (although I'm certain there are way's around that), but if Zelda is the King's only child then who is going to take over after him?"
> 
> I'm going to clear this up in case someone is thinking along the same lines. What I'm going for is that they will go to Hyrule eventually - Link says it a few times starting on this chapter, but I didn't make it very clear; I should probably edit one chap and add this. Zelda will take her father's place with Link by her side, but until the need for that arises she'll stay in Twilight, which is a place safe for him, so she can try to get to know Link. You've already seen he is the angry kind of guy, if he were to marry and immediately move to Hyrule things would be worse than they already are haha
> 
> I might add few comments at the end of the chaps to comment on a few things without spoiling them. And just cause I'm a lazy bum and don't want to edit Annular Eclipse, know that last chapter was written based on the feeling I get when listening toUltraviolence, by Lana Del Rey!  
> Enjoy!
> 
> Have I told you I find you too cute to be true?

* * *

  **Umbra**

* * *

_The umbra is the darkest part of the Moon's shadow. From within the umbra, the Sun is completely blocked by the Moon as in the case of a total eclipse. This contrasts with the penumbra, where the Sun is only partially blocked resulting in a partial eclipse.  
_

* * *

Link woke up to find her side of the bed empty and made, sheets pulled up and pillows lined by the headboard. He stretched in place, feeling his column and joints popping and muscles moving, and then slowly got up to start a new day. The dark curtains were pulled open to let the orange glow of twilight into the room, it burned his sleepy eyes. He headed to the bathroom to wash his face and brush his teeth, finding remnants of water in the bathtub and one towel hanging to dry; the rest appeared untouched. Changing from his wrinkled pajamas to a tunic of a dark grey shade, he pinned the light tabard to the front and tied the chain about his hips, and after running a hand through his unruly hair and putting on his fine headpiece, Link exited the room and went for the dining hall without any rush despite the hunger he felt.

The few servants that passed by him stopped and bowed as he went on his way; normally he would greet them in some form, but they knew he was still bothered and possibly angry at the idea of being wedded to a stranger, so they let him go without any vocal greetings, knowing better than to speak to the hot headed prince when he did not want to. Link was somewhat glad they had not directed any words his way, but he was far too busy wondering just where she had gone to even acknowledge more than their presence in the same hallway. With long and quickening strides, he soon came up to the dining hall and slipped inside when the doors opened before him.

His father was sitting at the end of the table, wife on one side, daughter on the other. Zant sat beside Midna and Zelda sat beside his mother, but leaving one vacant seat between the two: his. His wife, he noticed, was having a rather amicable and polite talk with Ardian, who asked for more details of the places of Hyrule he did not have the chance to see. As soon as he entered, the conversation diverged and the attention was solely focused on him. The princess avoided eye contact and lowered her silverware whilst everyone else shot him suspicious glances, and he barely had time to snap at them for his sister acted just on time.

"Good morning, sunshine." Midna teased from behind a tall glass of fresh juice and received only a low groan in answer. "Slept well? Let us hope you did not roll over Zelda. You know how much you move during the night."

Link pulled a chair and plopped down unceremoniously, glaring at his sister. "You speak too much in the morning. Have you ever thought of shutting up?"

"Link," his mother chided gently, "manners."

"Yes, mother."

Midna had that triumphant look on her face until her mother glance her way; her smile faltered. "And stop teasing your brother."

"Yes, mother." She sighed, narrowing her eyes when Link smirked, and went back to her meal with a huff.

Before he could even realize, Zelda was passing him the bowl of fruits, having already poured some orange juice into his glass and also milk and coffee into his cup. Link silently took the desired fruits without ever looking at her face, turning away to fetch the bread as she gave him a slight smile and put the bowl away. Elliét watched the exchange with a grin on her lips, glad to see they were getting along so  _well_.

Zelda was quiet as the five Twili chatted, talking about the latest events in their realm, things she could not comment for lack of knowledge. She settled to sipping her tea and cutting up slices of papaya and cantaloupe in her plate, and marveled at how they differed from the fruits back in Hyrule, mostly in color; they appeared to be a lot darker. She had never seen mangoes of such a deep yellow color, it had to be due to the permanent state of twilight, there was no other explanation. Ripe bananas were the color of overripe ones, and cherries were as dark as blackberries. She would have a hard time getting used to it, but at least they were just as sweet.

She was just finishing peeling an apple when they all turned to look at her, all but Link that is, and she slowly lowered the fruit and knife. "Did I miss something?"

"Are you enjoying it here?" It was his sister who asked, one of the few times she directed her words at Zelda.

Assenting with her head, she answered. "Yes, I am. I have not seen much yet, but I have hopes I will be able to see more of the land soon." Her smile was returned by the couple sitting on the other side of the table and slowly they fell back in another family talk, leaving Zelda to her fruits and Link to his bread. He seemed almost angry as he tore it to pieces with his bare hands, eyebrows pinched and a frown on his lips, but Zelda dared not interfere or even ask what was wrong; simply, she touched his shoulder for only a breath and he stilled under her palm, whipping his head around to face her, but her gaze was focused elsewhere, so he turned back to his bread, this time much calmer.

Breakfast was uneventful, but somewhat enjoyable. Link spoke up at times and Zelda did not say anything unless they were directly speaking to her, choosing to take her time to eat her meal. To most she was used to eating in silence; to her husband, she was not willing to get closer or attached to them. That thought almost made him laugh. They had something in common after all; both did not want to be familiar with each other.

* * *

Link was heading to his study room to do his part of the paperwork of the day when he was intercepted in the hallway by Midna, who blocked his way by stepping before him whenever he tried to walk around her. "What do you want?"

"I just want to talk, little brother."

He let out a long suffering, dramatic sigh, which made her crack a smirk. "About what?"

"Her." Link made an almost disgusted face and walked around her, leaving Midna with the only option of following. "Don't you like her?"

"I barely know her, Midna." He said with a slight shrug, hands clasped tightly behind his back. "She doesn't talk, she doesn't do anything. She only sits and breathes and occasionally drinks water and eats something. There's not much to like."

Her sister scoffed at him and picked up her pace, coming to walk beside him in matching hurried strides. "I bet you didn't even try to talk to her."

"You're right, I didn't."

"And you expect her to come talking to you?"

They stopped before the door to his study room, Midna purposefully standing in his way so the door would not open to let him inside. Link glared up at her, but the glare she gave in return could rival his own, if not win. Accepting defeat, he motioned for her to follow him and the door slid closed behind their backs once they had walked past the threshold. The prince left his sister standing there as he sought refuge behind his desk and after getting comfortable on his chair he continued. "Why me? Why not you?"

Midna slumped her shoulders momentarily, then chose to sit on one of the chair across from his. She regarded him as if she was tired of having that discussion again, and truthfully, she was. They had talked about it so many times it was impossible to even count on two pairs of hands and feet; the number was just too high to be kept track of. "Because I am the oldest and I must stay in Twilight."

"That's just an excuse."

"An excuse?" An incredulous noise left her mouth before she went on. "Link, if I were in your place I would at least try to talk to her. She seems to be smart; surely she won't bore you with pointless things."

"But why her? Why not a Twili? They're so much easier to understand, and besides I wouldn't have to leave here."

His sister slammed a palm on the tabletop, which made him jump; she was fed up with his attitude and complaints, but still maintained a low and controlled tone. "Are you that self centered? She's in a strange place surrounded by strange people and you don't see her complaining. She went through extensive training to learn our language and she does not stutter once. Look at the things she did and is doing for Hyrule. It's time you start doing the same for us."

Link shot upwards, leaning forward over his desk, fists tightly pressed down on the smooth surface and teeth showing as he sneered. "Don't give me that kind of talk."

She laughed humorlessly, turning halfway from him. "I do that because it's time that you grow up."

His scowl deepened further, patience wearing thin and voice shaking. "I am grown up."

"Then act like it."

"I will do whatever I damn please!" He shouted in her face, arm sweeping out in an arch and throwing a stack of paper fluttering to the floor. "This is my marriage! You have nothing to do with it!" Midna watched as the paper sheets slowly descended to the dark ground, red irises following them as her brother huffed and slowly sat back down on his chair, gulping in air and glaring to the side. "I could care less about the people. They don't deserve anything from me. I don't owe them anything."

There was a frown on her pretty face and she bit her bottom lip. Using the populace as a motivation to have him keep doing these things had been long ago proved not to be good. It was the worst approach one could use on her brother, but not as bad as using the nobility instead. Link hated all classes, from high to low, but never acted on his feelings and did whatever he had to do because he was never given any other choice – his marriage was one example of that.

He always stood out in his own way and that was bad.

"Get out."

The princess stood and did just that, not because he ordered, though, but because talking to him when he was taken by any kind of emotion was a waste of time. It was best to leave before it got out of hand. With some more words stuck in her throat, she turned her back to him and left, missing when his features softened in the slightest. Link had not greeted Zelda that morning and left the dining hall without a single word to her; his poor wife was going to be ignored until something made him change his mind about her or someone rescued her from this life. Of all things he could do, this was the second worst, to pretend she did not exist, the first was trying and getting rid of her in any way, but Link would never wish her harm; he never wished that for any of the nobles and only Fierce Deity knew how much he despised them.

Still, Midna feared for her life and sanity. She just hoped Zelda had a strong mind and was as emotionally strong; if by any means, his actions endangered her in any way and words got to Hyrule, their marriage would be pointless. There would be no stopping the war that would rise.

* * *

Zelda admitted that the way Hyruleans described the Twili as savage monsters was way far from the truth. They all had been cordial and treated her nice so far, except her own husband, but she understood his reasons. If she could be honest with herself and them, she would say she would rather spend the first couple of days isolated from anyone just to let it sink that it had already happened, that she was taken by a man and locked on the other side of the Mirror of Twilight for the meantime. She had been preparing herself for this from the moment her father had made it clear that there was no going back, that annulling the contract was not wise and would result in another war.

Over the years, she had grown to accept this, but the idea would have sounded more... Appealing, if her father had explained the situation they were in and given her the chance to choose if she would go along with it or not. And she would have agreed, even if it took her a couple of weeks to reply, because he long ago pinned the idea in her head that she would have to sacrifice her life for her people. Arranged matrimonies happened all around Hyrule, but this was the first time a contract had been signed. It had been years since ink left a mark on paper and she still felt like a piece of land or an expensive painting in an auction. She felt like a trading object.

But in the same way that there was no canceling the pact, there was no canceling this either; it had been done and it would remain this way for as long as she could hold their union together. If Link cooperated it would be so much easier, but he seemed to be far from willing to help. If he ever decided to divorce, though, it would be her and the majority of the Twili against him and a minor part that wanted to rise against Hyrule. And he would have to go through his father, who would do all in his power to maintain the alliance intact. The Twili might not like her, but they were not stupid enough to go into war again.

She glanced off to the side; living in Twilight did not sound so bad, but oh, would she miss Rutela and Ralis...

"Princess Zelda?" The woman in question looked up at Zant, who easily towered over her. Distantly, she compared his height to Link's; he seemed to be twice as tall as her husband. Oddly enough, the thought almost made her laugh.

"Yes?" She glanced away again, avoiding looking at his eyes for too long. There were no signs of pupils or irises in there; his sclera, if it really was all his eyes had, faded from orange around the borders to yellow in the center. Quite interesting, but not the most lovely sight to look at. Not to mention the fissures in the corners of his mouth; it was bone chilling.

"Did something catch your attention?"

Indeed, something had and now that he mentioned it she seemed to realize he was talking to her before she got lost in her thoughts. "I apologize for getting distracted," her hands folded neatly before her, "it was not my intention."

Prince Zant brushed it off with a quirked eyebrow, or lack of thereof, and a grin. "What was it?"

Her lips frowned slightly. "That." Cocking her head towards the wall closest to them, their gazes fell on the only painting hung in the palace library.

He assented with his head once, lips falling open in recognition. "It was given by a queen to King Ardian and Queen Elliét when Midna was born. Lady Elliét and her were pretty close friends when younger." Then added in a quieter tone, "I do not know where it is, though."

"Lake Hylia." Zelda supplied a name for the location without a second thought, feet automatically taking her closer to the painting. "It is a famous lake in Hyurle, the biggest of all." She could not help but touch the bottom right corner of the canvas, gloved digits running over the signature written in white oil ink, the cursive, thin letters slightly tilted to the side like expected.

Her unsaid words hung heavily in the air and constricted her chest painfully, squeezing her heart. Zant had already realized the night before that her mother no longer lived, and perhaps having a painting done by Her Majesty now, in this circumstance, hanging on the library was not the best for Princess Zelda, but maybe it would bring her some comfort and a touch of her old home and kindgom to this place immersed in twilight. Maybe this painting would make it more bearable for her to stay, maybe now that she knew Elliét and her mother once knew each other she would feel a little better.

Zelda's hand fell to her side and she stepped back, face unreadable and guarded. With tense shoulders, she turned her head away from the wall, staring sightlessly out the rectangular window. "She was very talented," he resorted to say, hoping to break the tense atmosphere.

"Yes," the princess tried to swallow past the lump in her throat, "she was."

* * *

Link only saw Zelda again that day when he returned to retire for bed after a long day of locking himself up in his study room, spending half the time filling papers and the other trying to come up with enough excuses to use for the rest of his life. Midna's words were stuck in his mind and, although he admired his wife for doing what she did for her people, it did not make things any less bad in his eyes. He would have to leave someday, he would have to live in Hyrule and help her rule there. He would be confined to living a lifetime locked inside her pompous castle because the sunlight was too dangerous for him, while here both of them would be able to wander outside just fine.

Zelda was sitting and leaning against the headboard, comforters pulled up to her lap and face turned to the window, seemingly lost in thought. She did not see him entering and for that he was glad; the less he had to talk to her, the better. Gruffly, he made his way to his closet whilst unpinning the top of his tabard and chain from his tunic, then after returning them to their designed hangers the prince put on only the loose pair of pants he wore to sleep. Back in his chambers, she had moved to lie on her side, her back to him. How fitting; she, too, did not want to interact with him in the slightest. Link pulled the thick dark curtains over the windows, cutting out all external sources of light and leaving the room under the faint light of only one lit candle, then moved on to his side of the bed, already prepared for him to sleep.

Word had reached him that after Zant showed her the palace library she had grown quieter, if that was even possible. Zelda had not appeared for supper, choosing instead to stay in their room by herself, claiming she felt sick in the stomach and that it was better not to eat. He had to smirk at that, because he once said the same thing, word by word, the first time Zant was invited for dinner when he started courting Midna, which made Link wonder if his brother-in-law had something to do with it. Zant was a skilled sorcerer, he could have tried to show her some tricks and used Zelda as his guinea pig. That could only be it; how could a room in his palace upset his wife that much?

Link watched her back, her breathing slow and steady, a clear symbol that she was asleep. As her husband, he should ask her what was wrong and even try to help, but he cared for her just as much as he cared for the words said by her father on their wedding day, and so he would not put his nose into other people's business. If she had a problem, she would talk to him and then he would get involved, otherwise, it was he here and she there, on the other side of the bed with her issues and quietness.

Accepting that the day was over, Link blew out the candle.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Post chapter notes:
> 
> \- In the game, doors open by themselves; I thought it was a cool thing to point out to stress the differences between both realms, but I have no idea of how they work ahahaha
> 
> \- I thought it would be cool to have fruits of a darker color because of the lack of a real sun; something similar will be mentioned in the future again
> 
> \- To them, Fierce Deity is a god like Hylia is; you could say he is their... Patron god? Let's pretend that just as Hylia is important to Hyruleans, Fierce Deity is to the Twili; maybe their land was named after him as well, like Hyrule. Still the three Golden Goddesses are above him in Twilight as well!


	5. iv: Gamma

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heellooo!
> 
> A little late than usual, but here nonetheless! This chapter introduces that OC I talked about and I totally forgot to finish that picture of him so you know how he looks like. I'll try to publish it till next Friday haha but he doesn't have any outstanding feature, only one that will be mentioned only later on.
> 
> Surprisingly I don't have much to say today, so you're all free to read now~
> 
> Happy Holidays!!! 
> 
> teach me your ways to find good fanfics, you cutie

* * *

**Gamma**

* * *

_Gamma is the distance of the Moon’s shadow axis from Earth’s center in units of equatorial Earth radii. It is defined at the instant of greatest eclipse when its absolute value is at a minimum._

* * *

Time went by at a slow pace, but it went nonetheless. Link counted the days by marking on the calendar on top of his table, crossing out the numbers with red ink. Thirty one and counting; that meant that thirty one days of torture had already passed, minus thirty one days by her side.

Link could not complain, though; or maybe he could. Actually, he could and he would. Zelda was a nice wife, as nice as he got the chance to see it, but she made him angry, so angry he could break his table in half with one punch alone. There were times when she greeted him when he entered their bedroom and made a comment or two, and others when she either pretended not to see him there or truly did not realize he was in the same room as her. There was no pattern in that behavior; she would be fine for days and suddenly act weird, and the other way around happened often too. No one seemed to know why that happened, from what he could gather when he was with his family and she was not with them. Zant did seem to know more than he let on, always staying out of the discussion and acting bored or distracted when the topic was brought up, until he actually got bored (or perhaps annoyed?) and insisted that Zelda was only homesick.

To find out, he had two options: ask her or ask Zant, and the first was just as bad as the second. Link was naturally curious, but he was also prideful, he would not question anyone about what was going on with his wife who he did not care about. What a bad, bad combination of traits, maybe just as bad as their marriage.

On the thirtieth night, Zelda spoke for the first time in four days. She had spoken so quietly Link could easily pretend he did not hear anything and go to sleep, but if she was bothering to talk to him after so long, the least he could do was listen.

“Yes?”

“Can I have someone show me the rest of the palace?”

Ah, yes. After a whole month in the Twilight Realm, she had only seen their bedroom, the dining hall, the library and the hallways that connected all three rooms. She had not bothered to explore the place, but finally she was opening up to the idea of living there; maybe he could convince her to stay, their union would be more bearable, then.

At first, Link knew no one who could do such a thing, to act as her guide, but then, it came to him. They had a servant, a good servant that man was, so good he had been working at the palace for years and refused to retire, and this man happened to have a grandson who had troubles to remain hired in one job for more than a few weeks. This kid spent most of his time helping his grandfather, but received nothing in return. Why not do a good deed and pay the kid to look after his angel of a wife?

Robyn had just left the study room, happy that he was employed again, but even happier that he was going to get to work with the new princess herself. Link rearranged the stack of paper on his desk with a smirk; he would pay anyone to stay with her just so she would not pursue him during his waking hours. And Robyn was around the same age as the Zora she was so fond of; the chances that Zelda would like him were great.

* * *

The library quickly became her favorite place in the palace. Whereas one could say her husband fled to his study to escape her, they could as well say she went to the library to do the same. Link did very little to acknowledge her even when the two of them were alone in their chambers and it was enough to make her fret, gnawing on her bottom lip until the tender skin tore under her teeth and bled. She would suck on the blood, eyes downcast, and wonder what she would need to do to be accepted by him. If anything happened and they were to leave Twilight with him acting so bitter over their marriage, the princess was pretty sure he would throw himself out in the sun and die a slow and agonizing death – which, she guessed, he would choose over living by her side. The library was where she went to think, to meditate and to stare longingly at the painting on the wall. Of all elements, she missed the bright sunlight the most; she could live with the constant warm weather and the dark flora, but never she had thought a life without the sun would be so hard.

Zelda was about to sit on her usual armchair by the open window when there was a frantic rap on the door. Alarmed that something bad could have happened, she put down her book on the nearby round table and hurried to the door, calling out for the person to enter. The princess was stopped halfway when a boy with a long scarf wrapped around his head rushed a few steps in and dropped to his knees in reverence, forehead touching the floor as he bowed deep before her, leaving her speechless.

“Princess Zelda, Your Highness!” He wheezed and then coughed, air failing to get to his lungs.

She stood up straighter, rapidly recovering after his outburst. “Please, stand.”

And he did so, very obediently and very quickly. The Twili was no taller than Ralis, but given that their race was known for its high stature, with only one known exception, she could not give any shots and try to guess his age, but his face, though shadowed by the scarf, was one of a boy still in his teens. His form was lean and slim, features simpler than the Royal Family’s, matching the ones seen on servants, body mostly black, decorated with the famous Twili patterns. The long dark scarf fell behind him and touched the back of his knees; why he needed such thing when it was always so hot was beyond her comprehension.

“Introduce yourself,” she said kindly, lacing her fingers together before her navel.

He did a salute, possibly one done by Twili guards and knights. “I am Robyn. I was designed by Prince Link himself to watch over you and keep you company.”

The princess regarded him, a palm now resting on her cheek. She had her doubts about this. While she was in no way opposed to the idea of having a teen to spend most of the day with (adults were more likely to inquire about her personal life and tastes, and she would rather keep that to herself), she would much likely bore him to death. The princess did not do nothing interesting at all, why would her husband assign such an energetic boy to serve as her companion?

But she had no heart to send him away without testing him first; actually, she did not have a heart to send him away at all.

Robyn shifted under her stare, growing anxious with the way she looked at him, so intently and seriously, but then she blinked, apparently rousing from her thoughts, and smiled. The princess, the one married to Prince Link, smiled at him! He could not help but give a wide smile back at her, hands fumbling with the long end of his scarf to keep them occupied. “Very well, Knight Robyn.” His smile bloomed into a full grin at the mention of the title. Amazing! He would be treated as a knight by her! There was no greater honor!

Zelda told him to wait while she put the books she had picked into a vacant cabinet given to her, piling them in order of relevancy and making sure to tuck her annotations under the last book, keeping them away from sight. “Where to, My Lady?” Asked Robyn whilst bowing deeply, and Zelda approached him, touching her hand to the fabric wrapped around his head.

“Do you have stables?” He nodded his head, already whirling around on his heels. “Then, lead the way.”

* * *

She knew many aspects of the Twilight Realm were not like Hyrule, for example she could mention their wedding rituals. While back at home the bride and the groom had extravagant designs painted on their hands with henna and the ring was a simple golden band that could be removed, here you had your hands dipped in ice-cold water, the ring was one that closed around your finger and would never move from there. It bound you to the person eternally; she was bound to the Twilight Prince and still could not decide if that was a good thing.

In any case, Zelda had expected they had horses or any kind of animal that resembled one, even boars were acceptable. However, here she was, facing one of the strangest creatures that tried to reach her from over the division of its little pen, and every time it made an attempt, she unconsciously leaned back. Robyn seemed to find her actions amusing, and really, she admitted she must have looked rather silly doing that; just who would imagine the quiet Hylian princess would back away from... This? Anyone would, though, anyone from Hyrule that knew just exactly what these were.

She had seen them before flying about Hyrule Field, attacking carriages and riders, featherless birds that screeched and dived, beaks parted to bite and tail pointed. They were as bad as they could be, possibly the most annoying flying creatures she had the chance of crossing paths with. But these were much bigger. “What are these?”

Robyn gladly provided her the answer she needed. “Shadow Kargaroks.” Zelda assented her head once, suspicions confirmed.

Regular Kargaroks had a peculiar appearance, but the Twilight version of them was just... Off putting. The body was black, reflecting silver when under the light, the tail was long and bent oddly at the end, and the feet had only three fingers each. Square shaped holes were present on the wings with angular edges, and the head... It had no beak, no eyes, nothing. The head, if one could call it that, was concave like a ladle spoon, which expanded and contracted as it breathed, and inside she spotted the usual Twilight marks, but this time they were red. The princess breathed in deeply and tried not to curl her fingers. It was fine, she had seen worse, she only needed to learn how to ride one of these and make use of them only once, and then she would never have to face these again. It was fine, it should be easy.

The Shadow Kargarok cocked its head back and screeched, sounding much like a trumpet. Her eyes widened slightly. “She is happy to see you!”

“She?”

Robyn nodded. “Epona, Link’s personal Shadow Kargarok. She is very friendly, but I would advise you to not try and ride her.”

Zelda regarded Epona, somehow feeling it staring back at her. “I would not dream of it,” she murmured, turning her head away from the creature. “Do I get one for myself?”

“Yes, it should be the one you choose to train with.” Her eyebrows arched, not that he saw it. So the one she picked was hers, no one would tell her which one was easier to tame and which one would try to make her fall. How great. Falling off a horse was bad, falling off a Shadow Kargarok while flying was–

Good Goddesses. Breath caught in her throat, Zelda directed her gaze to the dark floor of the stables. She would fly. Fly. Like a bird, like a butterfly. Just how would someone teach her how to ride these whilst high in the air? She could already see herself falling to her death.

Her worries must have shown on her face, because the next thing she knew Robyn had touched her on the arm, then quickly retracted his hand while apologizing profusely; she merely brushed him off. “Are you feeling fine, My Lady?”

She let out a weak, breathy laugh, and lifted her eyes from the ground. “I admit I am feeling a little queasy.” Pursing her lips, she laced her hands together once again and looked at the Twili. “Perhaps we should go inside. I could really use something to drink, at least, considering I missed luncheon again.”

“My Lady, that is bad for your health.” Zelda nodded, facing the dark bird once again. Epona cocked her head to the side this time and remained silent, until Robyn held an apple before her and she squealed before snatching it away. “Let us go, then, Your Highness.”

Zelda turned around before she could see just how Epona would eat the fruit and followed the kid outside into the gardens. It was all so different, it was hard to adapt. The thin branches and trunks twisted and turned, the leaves were of such a dark green it resembled black, red was burgundy, white was somehow darker, and everything had a color scheme that did not match the one she was used to. This world needed color, more than just the orange, pink and hues in between that permanently painted the skies, more than just dark orange cantaloupes and overripe looking bananas.

Robyn led the way, chatting amicably and telling her some facts about the Twilight Realm, which she hoped she would get to see with her own eyes someday. The Mirror Of Twilight was located in a chamber inside the palace, far from the main entrance that led to an open patio where the residents of this world gathered when there was an audience or event. He said many people were there during the wedding ceremony, hoping she would come out and introduce herself, but Prince Link had ordered the guards to tell them she would not be appearing so soon. While she did not care what people thought of her, the fact that his actions made her seem arrogant for not wanting to appear publicly was enervating; she needed to give the people a good impression, and now she needed to make up for that. Link was not allowed to decide on her behalf if she would talk to them or not.

“Actually, Knight Robyn,” she cut him off, smiling apologetically when he shut his mouth quickly, “I can go a little longer more without eating. Could you go ahead and see if King Ardian is available? I would like very much to speak to him.”

“Of course, My Lady!” He saluted with a grin and went ahead, long scarf flapping behind him as he jogged to the other side of the garden. Zelda dropped her shoulders and slowed down to a stop, feeling her head pulsing and legs growing weak. This place was being so hard on her.

* * *

It had been an okay day for Link so far, he finished his paperwork, had some time to take a nap, had a delicious meal with most of his family, father and wife excluded, and ignored his mother’s concerned comments regarding Zelda’s health. Later he and Midna joined their father in a meeting with the council members and province representatives, a boring event that stretched on for a great part of the first half of the afternoon. Then his father left when his trusted advisor shared words with someone by the door, still nothing unusual considering he was doing that often to prepare his children, more specifically Midna, to their future.

The meeting had just ended and Link walked alone through the hallways, humming a tune to himself while going over all that was discussed and decided. He told Midna he would be the one to fill Ardian in on what he missed, seeing this as an opportunity to get busy again and escape from his wife a little longer; his sister, of course, saw right though his façade, but still told him to go for she had many things left to do and departed with a sour look on her face. He brushed this off, he did not care about what she had to say, Link knew she would have understood him if she were in his place instead.

Asking most servants he crossed paths with of his father’s whereabouts, he set off to his office with a warning that “His Majesty is not alone and does not wish to be disturbed.” Nonsense, he thought, whoever it was could wait until he was finished there. It was more important that he knew what was planned to the festival that was to come in some months than whatever they were discussing at the present time.

“Are you sure about that?” His father’s voice rang from inside the room; Link smoothed a palm down his tunic as porcelain crinkled from the other side of the door, and the same hand came up to knock on the door, only to remain frozen in the air.

The second person spoke. “I believe the people should not be kept in the dark.” Link felt a frown forming on his face; so much for trying to run away from his wife and he ran into her instead. Nothing was ever on his favor.

The Twili King did not say anything for a while, and his son pictured him sipping his black tea calmly with his gaze averted to the side, as he usually did when pondering and going over pros and cons. “That is very thoughtful of you, Princess Zelda.” Link scoffed quietly to himself. “But consider your safety. You will be more prone to being attacked.”

“On such a short notice, I find it hard that anyone will have time to plan an assassination.” His frown deepened, just what were they talking about? “I can assure you I can handle whatever happens, though.”

Ardian laughed heartily at her comment as he set the cup down. “You Hylians, no, Hyruleans are born ready for battle, are you not?”

“I suppose.”

“What can you do?”

There was a moment of silence, and then she spoke. “Father had the captain of his guard teach me archery and swordsmanship, and basic hand-to-hand combat before I left.”

“Did he have any reason to do that?”

“I insisted that I left home knowing something so I would not be a burden if anything ever happened here.”

Link took a step back and raised his eyebrows slightly at that. How nice of her, and he did not mean it sarcastically. Here he had thought she would come over completely unprepared, but here she was, speaking fluent Twili and knowing how to handle herself in a battle. Still...

“I am afraid the Hyrulean style of fighting will not do much harm to us Twili for our ways differ from yours greatly, but I appreciate that you put time and effort into that. Surely it will come handy.” Link could imagine Zelda nodding; that was all she ever did. “I will tell my guards to spread the word. Tomorrow you will have your audience.”

Another nod. “Thank you, Your Majesty.”

“You may be excused if you wish to leave.” A chair scrapped lightly on carpet, and he added as an afterthought. “Please try not to miss meals again. Your health is our greatest concern.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

Link increased the distance between him and the door, which slid open shortly after to let her out. Dressed in pastel blue, his wife curtsied to him and murmured a greeting, then went left towards the young Twili he had assigned to escort her around. Realizing he was being watched the whole time while eavesdropping, the prince swallowed but knew the kid would not tell anyone anything if he wished to keep his job; not that Link would fire him, he would feel bad for doing that, but if his father ever found out... Well.

After she turned around the corner and disappeared from within hearing range, he let out a breath and stepped inside his father’s office, the door sliding closed behind him smoothly. “The meeting is already over?” Ardian inquired, to which Link replied with a nod while taking a seat, the chair still warm with her heat. “Oh... Fill me in, then.”

He considered asking first what she was doing there, he was curious and just dying to know, but that would leave open an opportunity to his father to tease him and ask just why he avoided the Hylian so much. It was an old topic with old explanations that, really, he was tired of repeating over and over again, and he was sure his father was tired of countering all things he pointed out. It would be a waste of time and breath, and so far, his mood was superb. Link did not want to ruin that.

“This is what was decided,” he started, gaze on the pink lipstick stain left on the cup.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Post chapter notes:
> 
> \- It was weird to give Epona such an odd appearance, but I figured that horses wouldn't be their prefered mean of transportation given that the Twilight Realm layout is basically many floating islands according to the game, so Shadow Kargaroks were the best solution
> 
> \- Link and Zelda now will be able to reenact the Whole New World sequence from Aladdin


	6. v: Center Of Mass

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey y'all!
> 
> I hope you enjoyed the holidays as much as I did! This last Friday I beat for the first time Majora's Mask, hence why I didn't post, and yesterday I had a lot of cleaning and cooking to do around here. Today I had a lot of of time to review it calmly, though I'm pretty sure I might have missed something; the weather is so hot it makes me super sleepy.
> 
> Just a note: I won't be around for some days in January due to some family reunions and a trip, so I won't be able to post because nooo internet, but it'll allow me to catch up on what I didn't/won't write this December hehehehe
> 
> Go ahead and enjoy this chap!
> 
> So glad you had a good Christmas and also got such nice presents, you deserve them all!

* * *

**Center Of Mass**

* * *

_In orbital mechanics, the equations of motion of celestial bodies (stars, planets, moons, etc.) are formulated as point masses located at the centers of mass. In other words, the motion of a celestial body can be predicted assuming the object's entire mass is concentrated into one single point called the center of mass._

* * *

 

The Twili technology was more advanced than the Hyruelan. She saw it in the way doors had no knobs and opened by themselves, and somehow were locked even if there was no actual lock to insert a key. The whole palace was powered by orbs made of pure power called Sols, the source of life of every Twili as well as source of energy for many components of the castle, as told by Robyn. She guessed they were also the reason why the common Twili patterns on the walls and furniture glowed, and wondered if these could work as source of light like candles, but only much brighter.

At the open patio in the front of the Palace of Twilight, she was positioned behind a speech podium and up on a platform that floated, as surreal as it sounded. With its edges glowing the same blue hue of the traditional marks she saw everywhere, it was high enough to allow her to see most Twili present to meet her for the first time. She was surprised to see so many, especially if one was to consider it was only revealed she would be making her first physical appearance less than a day ago, but there they were, all of which looked more like Robyn than the Royal Family. Zelda smiled slightly as Ardian's advisor presented her, eyes sweeping about the crowd that gathered there that morning, if she could call it that, only to see her gripping the podium so tightly her fingers hurt.

They murmured among themselves in hushed tones. To them, she was as weird looking as they had been at first for her. It was understandable; she doubted any of them had seen a Hylian, or any other Hyrulean race, in person before, but she had seen them, the Twili King Ardian more specifically, when he went to Hyrule to sign a contract with her father and ran into her just when he was leaving. Now it seemed Queen Rosenna and Queen Elliét were once acquaintances, she could not help but wonder what would have happened had her mother not passed away due to bloodloss. Maybe she would have convinced her father not to sell her off, maybe she and Link would have been friends and would naturally fall in love, maybe it could have happened with Midna, and maybe she could have been promised to someone else.

Zelda set her jaw, but kept the amiable smile on her face at all times. There was no point in thinking of what could have been; it was useless to wonder how her life would be now if her mother were alive. There was only now, there was only the future, the past no longer concerned her, she could not waste her time thinking of then and neglect the now. She was there to make things better for all.

"It is a pleasure to meet all of you." She spoke, voice thick with accent, but if everyone in the palace could understand her, then so could them. More murmurs arose and she continued, unbothered by them. "I apologize for taking so long to make my first physical appearance. It has been hard to adjust, but so far it is going well." Inhaling deeply and heart hammering in her chest, the princess tried to coax it back into a slower pace. It was going to go fine; it was like speaking to her people back home, only this time she had to make a good first impression or else they could hate her forever like her husband.

It should be easy, piece of cake.

She swallowed past the lump in her throat and passed the word to Jaiho, now eager to get this over with as soon as possible. The audience was planned to for last about two hours; she hoped it would not stretch on for longer than that.

* * *

Link never understood why they needed to start planning the festival months before it happened. There were still many weeks to go, but his mother insisted on trying out all decorations on the ballroom and all foods that were to be served, nothing could go wrong, she was a perfectionist. He understood her worries, the festival was held in honor of the Twili gods and deities, but there was no problem if the fish tasted bad in the end; it was not like the ethereal beings would punish her for picking the wrong condiments. They would not know if it was edible or not, but to tell her she was overreacting was like saying Fierce Deity did not exist; he had been there once and he did not want to be there again.

So he sucked it up, in his sister's words, and sat with them at the dining hall, picking at the huge diversity of meals that were brought to the table to be proved and approved (or rejected, the majority of things were not approved by Her Majesty Elliét). Link had a big appetite and would usually eat a lot, but he was not one to seat and snack and give his opinion on it. If it tasted good then it was approved, but his mother seemed to think differently.

Midna and their mother chatted while Zant read a book, only putting it away when the cooks brought them something, and Link was left alone to his thoughts. He heard from his parents earlier that Zelda was holding an audience with the people seeing as she had not done it yet under his orders, which earned him a glare from his father. He said nothing of it, it was better not to say; if he blatantly lied and said he was only caring for her well being his father would reprehend him, if he said the truth the outcome would be the same; there was no escaping Ardian's sharp tongue, and the disapproving look his mother gave him stirred something inside of him.

He was angry, still angry since he found out, and he did not think he would ever feel better again. They gave him hell for not putting Zelda on a pedestal and treating her like a fragile crystal, but they did not know what it was like to meet their fiancée only when they were to exchange vows. Both he and Zelda could have been acting slightly better to each other had his parents told him themselves what they had stored for him; Midna told him out of pity, which infuriated him, it showed they would only mention the Hyrulean princess if he ever started seeing someone else. His sister had been kind enough to tell him before he went through puberty, before he even knew what puberty was.

She also said often that he was acting like a stupid child for being so hung up on it. She told him, just let it go, and it often made him ponder if he was still mad at it all or if it was just psychological, like he could not believe they did that and could not get over it, because then he would not have another thing to direct his hate. It was true, though, it was unbelievable, to this day he still could not grasp just what went over their heads that made them think it was an acceptable solution, what was worse was that they went with it. Never in the history of the Twilight Realm did arranged marriages happen, why did his have to be the first?

How could Zelda even cope with this? What happened when she found out she was going to marry someone she did not know? Surely, this did not happen in Hyrule, arranged marriages had to be a foreign concept there, too.

The cooks brought another serving of meals. He could smell turkey, basil and something else he did not know. He was no chef; there was no way he would know what was in there. Holding in a long sigh, Link sat up straighter and fixed the napkin on his lap, trying to wipe away the bored look on his face. How dreadful. For how long had he been sitting there?

Elliét took her sweet time to taste the concoction, turning the plate around to look at it from every possible angle before picking up her fork and knife from the table. Link caught Midna's gaze, who smiled at him with a slight shrug, and he returned the gesture with a roll of his eyes; she, too, did not want to spend most of the day tasting different plates, but she did a better job than he did in masking her thoughts and pleasing their mother. The same could be said for Zant, though he was not required to entertain her like the siblings were.

Finally, the queen gave an approving nod, but still was not completely satisfied. "I think it is missing something."

"It's good the way it is, mother." Link tried to argue, but walls would listen to his words more than she would. Elliét sent away the cooks and went back to chatting with her daughter, and Link was once again left alone.

His father had given him the day off, hoping he would go and hold the audience with Zelda, but still did not get his hopes up for he knew Link would not go. But still it was a nice day and he could be doing something else, like riding Epona over the plains at south and escaping form the castle life for only a moment, but this had to be part of his father's plan; Ardian must have told his mother to drag him in this if he decided not to accompany his wife. He guessed he was paying the price for being a terrible husband.

Just then came in his wife, probably followed by Robyn who had chosen to stay outside on the hallway waiting for her. Link raised his eyebrows in disbelief; her audience was over but this was not? What did he ever do to deserve this? She greeted them with a soft smile on her lips and chose to sit to his right, arranging the napkin neatly on her lap. "Already over?"

She assented her head. "They did not ask many things. I guess I look intimidating." He frowned, but she did not see; Zelda was being serious about it, but he could not classify her as the intimidating type, she looked anything but. "I was going to the library until I found His Majesty King Ardian. He told me to come here."

Link hummed; his father was trying to get her to eat while trying to make them interact more. Well played, he admitted. He also noticed everyone looking their way, Zant included, and silently glared at them until they turned to glance elsewhere; his mother had a bright smile on her face while Midna was smirking and rolling her eyes as she fell back into a small talk with Élliet. Morons.

"There is only one more meal left and one dessert, Link." Zant provided from the other side of the table without looking up from his book. "Try not to celebrate too loudly."

He chuckled lightly. "I will try." Elbow on the table and chin on his fist, he stared at the wall ahead, noticing from his peripheral vision that Zelda was playing with her wedding ring. Link pondered; she seemed thinner than when she had arrived, skipping meals so often definitely was not good for her. Would she lose so much weight the ring would fall from her finger? Would she unbound herself from him? Would the gods accept that?

What would happen if the ring did not fit her anymore? Would she be free to go? Would that leave him as the only one eternally bound to the other?

Unacceptable.

He would not be the one to remain bound, if anything, he should be the one to have the ring removed in any possible way and as soon as possible. His father had done well in sending her to the dining room, but there was very little one small portion would do to put back the weight she lost and, consequently, keep the ring on her finger.

The next round of meals came faster than the last. It was soup, just what he did not need. Once a bowl smaller than his hand was placed before him, he slid it towards her, silently telling her to have his part. Zelda looked up at him, but said nothing except for a thank you, and proved the soup while the queen did a poor job in pretending she was not watching the interaction. The last thing he had in mind was concern, he just did not want to be the one who would still have the ring, and already the people did not like him, if someone died under his watch, they would give him hell. Things were already bad enough as they were. "I am satisfied already," he stated without looking at her and did not expect an answer.

Élliet approved the soup; it was creamy and smelled of pumpkin, and it was only the second meal she had approved that day and they needed at least five others more to serve at the festival. Thankfully, the next round of testing different meals for the entire morning was one week away and this time Link would do all in his favor not to participate in this.

The bowls were taken away, except for the extra one in Zelda's hold, and they patiently waited for the first dessert on the list. Midna asked the other princess a few questions regarding the audience, to which she replied briefly, not giving out too many details nor dragging the subject on for too long. Link noticed how they put effort into including her in small talks and things alike, constantly asking for her opinion and requesting that she tell them some of her past experiences, but it seemed like she did not enjoy talking about her past much, and when they inevitably inquired her of the wedding preparations and how she found it out, Zelda instantly grew distant and silent, eyes blank like when she first arrived and hid behind a composed mask that could not be shattered no matter how much they tried. Soon they would see what he had seen already, that it was best not to mention her father for it made her uneasy and unhappy, that was not such a hard concept to grasp.

Once she was finished, the cooks entered with pretty, little porcelain bowls placed on silver trays, filled to the brim with a chocolate concoction that made his mouth water. That one he was not giving to her, he had a sweet tooth he had to feed. Chocolate mousse filled the bowls, topped with dark chocolate icing and cacao nibs, his favorite dessert and he knew his mother would approve of this. The only thing missing were the juicy strawberries he liked to cut up and add to the recipe, but he did not need them at the moment.

However, Zelda seemed hesitant to try this. After staring at it for a few seconds, she dipped her spoon into the mousse with a little more force than necessary before anyone could question her and swallowed quickly, as if she did not enjoy the taste or like it could burn her throat. He shrugged to himself, whatever, and enjoyed the dessert from start to finish, scrapping the bottom of the bowl to get as much as he could, which made his mother frown at him in disapproval. Zant peeped in, "Let him, Lady Élliet, he is finally trying it without a frown on his face." Link glared at the tallest Twili present, and Midna laughed from behind her spoon.

As soon as he was finished, Link excused himself and did not stick around for too long, heading out straight to the stables.

* * *

"Are you feeling well, Lady Zelda?"

Blinking herself out of her trance-like state, the princess lowered her gaze to the young Twili that accompanied her to the royal library of the palace. Yes, she was feeling well, though she did not know for how long that feeling would last. Perhaps she should have declined the dessert, but it was far too late to regret that now, the only thing she could do now was brace herself for what was to happen.

Stopping by the door, Robyn stared at her with concern, but she seemed to be looking right through him. Ever since she exited the dining hall, Zelda seemed to be distant, even more than usual, spacing out and getting lost in her own cloud of thoughts. She replied sincerely, "For now, I am." His forehead frowned, and she shook her head slowly, facing forward again.

Zelda did not mean to drift away and worry him and she did not know what prompted her to do so. She did not remember what she was thinking about in the first place, but she knew, if even for a moment, that she was greatly confused by Link's actions. If he was actually satisfied then, she did not know, but he could have simply declined proving the pumpkin soup instead of passing his portion to her. The princess did not, even for a second, deceive herself into thinking he was just a bit worried, though; it was unlikely that he was, he could be only following his father's orders to watch over her – yes, that sounded like a plausible answer.

Tucking a lock of hair behind her pointed ears, she told herself not to worry about it. There were other things to worry about, far more important than how her husband decided to act; already, she could feel her stomach twisting. She did not like judging people before she got to know them, but she was living in the palace for over a month now and he did not, would not talk to her for longer than five minutes. She knew why, he did not like her, he did not want to be married to her, and honestly, she did not want to be either, but she was not being so... Childish about it. If only he tried to interact with her more, then the idea of being married would sound more appealing, even if only a little more.

Nodding to herself, she stepped forward and stopped when pain ripped through her abdomen so suddenly. Wincing and reaching for the wall for support, the princess bent forward and pressed one forearm against her stomach, feeling Robyn's hands on her shoulders for a split second before they disappeared. Torn between wanting to help her and following the rules that dictated he should not touch those from nobility, the young Twili hovered over her and called her name, voice growing high as panic soared through him when he glanced about and noticed they were alone.

Bad timing. "Get someone," she bit out, leaning her shoulder against the wall and slowly lowering herself to her knees. Wide eyed, Robyn turned on his heels and ran down the hallways, nearly tripping on his own feet and scarf almost falling off his head.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Post chapter notes:
> 
> \- Zelda's sickness will be explained on the next chapter, and I'll also explain why I didn't choose the first symptom on the list


	7. vi: First Contact

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> /rock you like a hurricane chorus playing repeatedly/ HERE I AM
> 
> Life taught me an important lesson yesterday. So I was reviewing this chapter and before I finished I decided to go grab some snacks because why not, right? After I got comfortable on my seat again, the light went out and it did not return so soon, that's why nothing was posted yesterday. Moral of the story: always finish what you're doing, because you could either be working on your fic or that essay you have to send in thirty minutes lmao
> 
> It did give me lots of time o edit something I changed in the last minute, though. Now that the holidays are officially over and I can't play Black Flag with the bae all day long, I'm hoping I'll get back to writing daily again /flexing my muscle emoji
> 
> Enjoy!!!
> 
> Sends you many good vibrations on this new yearrrr

* * *

**First Contact**

* * *

_The instant when the partial phase of an eclipse begins._

* * *

 Epona soared through the skies, flapping her long wings and relinquishing on the feeling of flying again with her master, Link. Situated on her back, the Twili inhaled deeply the fresh air from the forest and set off towards the palace again, already missing the feeling of freedom he was leaving behind among the trees. There were things he could only experience when leaving his home for a day and this was one of them. When he was alone in the forest, it did not matter who he was or what he did, he could enjoy his free time without being interrupted by anyone. Besides, running away only for a few hours was much more exciting than staying around in the castle and trying to find something to do that was not his chores.

The weather was nice that day, too bad he did not have the chance to enjoy it fully. Link left a few moments before the official time for luncheon and now was returning just in time for supper; it was only a half of the total time he would usually spend away, but it was better than going back to his stuffy study room. He had the chance to see his friend again and spend some time together after a long weeks apart, no one could understand him like Epona could and she was only a Shadow Kargarok incapable of speaking.

The trip back always seemed to pass by quicker, something he did not like in the least. He was never anxious to get home soon, unless he knew they would serve something he greatly loved, only then he would make sure to arrive earlier. From where they were, he could already see the silhouette of the Palace of Twilight in the distance, tall, angular and waiting for him to arrive. This time, his wife would join them for supper, and if he were to consider the ring issue it was a good thing; she needed to eat or else the wedding band would fit her no longer, and then he would be screwed.

He barely had time to land on the courtyard between the stables and the palace, for the next thing he knew Robyn was hurrying in his direction – should not he be with Zelda? – and looking very panicked. "Prince Link!"

Epona stretched her wings before tucking them by her sides and screeched when her master patted her neck. "Hello, Robyn. How is it going?"

"Princess Zelda-" Link groaned at the mention of her name, but luckily, he was just hopping off Epona's back when the sound was made. "- is sick!"

"She's  _what_!?" The prince whirled around to look at the kid in the eyes, then hastily threw the reins at the approaching ranch boy and marched towards the castle, the younger Twili hot on his heels. "How did it happen?" Great, just great, just what he needed now.

"W-We do not know, she started feeling sick shortly after you left."

What was that? He could understand it if she had not eaten anything and fainted afterwards, but she  _did_  eat and still fell sick? That was unheard of, never in his life had he seen such thing happening before. It had to happen right while he was away, too, just to make it seem even more that he did not care. Though he believed some people did not like her for being Hyrulean or the idea of an interracial marriage, he did not know if someone, his family and Robyn aside, liked her and did not mind her presence. The people already did not like him before, maybe now they despised him for marrying an enemy of another species or for leaving when she got sick; surely, word of her illness reached their ears, the servants enjoyed gossiping with anyone they crossed paths with.

If she got worse or died, it could spark another war and the blame would fall on his shoulders. Whatever he did would result in part of the populace being angry with him when all he wanted was that they directed their hate somewhere else instead to give him a break. His popularity was hitting the bottom of the well, not that it was far from there before Zelda came along.

Servants evaded him like he was on fire, pressing themselves up against the wall as he stormed through the palace towards his chambers, hair tousled from the ride and clothes badly arranged. He must have looked quite the scene, but his looks were the last thing on his mind; for once, he was concerned about her health – and it did not matter if she was an enemy or of another race, if she died in his arms the outcome would be the same: a war. He was thinking in loops, the same thoughts over and over. She just needed to live, and then all would be well for him.

At his door he found his parents and Zant, Midna nowhere in sight – he presumed she was inside with his wife. Ellíet looked deeply troubled while his father had a frown on his face; his brother-in-law, the only one maintaining a composed expression, said quickly. "She asked you not to go inside."

Link glared darkly at him – she what? – and answered fervently. "I am her husband! I go where she goes!" The doors slid open to him as he brushed past his family, entering his room that was empty and as normal as he had last seen it. Just as his eyebrows drew together, a noise came from inside the bathroom, and his tunic rustled loudly as he hastily went for the door.

Midna sat with Zelda by the toilet, gentle hands rubbing soothing circles on her back and holding her hair away from her face, as the Hylian princess took in quick breaths before leaning forward and vomiting, cold sweat tricking down her temples, cheeks and neck. His sister caught his eyes and parted her lips to speak, but he beat her to it. "Out!" He barked and moved in closer to them, forcing her hands away from his wife and taking her place instead. Reluctantly, Midna stood up and rolled her eyes at the scowl on her brother's face, but left the scene quickly, joining the rest of her family – and Robyn – in a few seconds.

"I don't know if he is angry or concerned," she said quietly, to which her husband replied in a hushed tone.

"Angry," said Zant, eyes distant as he stared at the door. "He definitely looks angry."

Zelda vomited one last time before falling back and collapsing against her husband's chest, eyes clouded and face pale, and completely relaxed against him. For good measure he checked her wrist, though there was no need to since she was gulping in large intakes of breath, then, as gently and calmly as he could, he moved her to lean back against the cool surface of the bathtub. Her gaze was hollow as she met his, which made a cold shudder roll down his spine, but he did not let it bother him as he pressed his palm to her warm forehead, and her eyelids closed.

Swallowing down, he let out in a calm tone. "How are you feeling?"

She managed one small smile – there was nothing to smile about – and her shoulders shrugged ever so slightly. "Like trash," her voice was raspy and her answer was plain like that. What a language, but it was a nice change from her stoic and formal manner of speech.

Touching his palm to her cheek, Link recoiled his hand and went for the cabinet, withdrawing a face towel from inside which he dipped under the cool water from the faucet. He was gentle as he patted the towel on her damp skin, wiping away the sweat that decorated her form, but he made sure to do it just so she would react to his touches and not fall asleep or faint sitting on the bathroom floor. When he finished, he left the cotton fabric hanging on the edge of the bathtub and shifted his wife around, trying to find the best angle to pick her up. With a slight grunt, Link had her off the floor and in his arms, and quickly transported her to their bed, lying her down on her side of the mattress. Her eyes still had not focused completely, so he took her hand to see if she would notice him there – she looked his way unseeingly, but at least she was looking at him. "What happened?" He inquired; she frowned.

Zelda's hand felt light and almost bony in his, skin so pale he could see the veins underneath. Why was she skipping meals, he wanted to ask, did she do that on purpose, but then he thought, what if she did not eat because this was a common occurrence? How would he keep her alive if she could not do the most basic of things? His heart thudded loudly – it could not happen, never happen. Nothing could ever happen to her, not while she was there in the Twilight Realm. Her fingers curled loosely around his hand, and he could only return the gesture and wait for her to reply, but she was still tired from what had just transpired. The prince frowned; she needed to react soon, she needed to get better soon to tell him what happened, but just as he prepared to speak again, she fell asleep, hand slipping from his grasp and falling on the bed beside her thigh. He looked at it in disbelief, luck was not on his side lately, and turned her palm up, pressing two fingers to her pulse and feeling it beating steadily under his digits. Link would keep his fingertips there just in case.

Midna entered the room again after a while, one eyebrow arching naturally at the sight that met her eyes, and he ground out gruffly. "I thought I told you to get out."

"But I did," she said with a hint of humor in her voice then closed the gap between them, coming to stand by the bed close to where he had decided to seat. She presented him with a book; brown cover made of leather and tied off with a strip of the same material. "By the time we found her, Princess Zelda was writhing in pain and could barely open her mouth or else she would vomit, but she managed to tell us to look through her things before emptying her stomach."

"And?"

Another eyebrow lifted. "Turns out she has a sickness that is unheard of around here. She is allergic to milk. She cannot eat any dairy products or else she feels sick. She brought a biology book with her; the medics are translating it to find out more."

Link spared the book a glance before looking up at his sister. "What did she eat?"

"Only the soup and the mousse. Both had milk or cream and her stomach reacted badly. Zelda is extremely intolerant to lactose."

He exhaled through his nose and turned back to his wife, who found peace in her sleep. That was why she was so hesitant to eat the chocolate mousse; she knew it would do her no good, but she ate it anyway, probably afraid of offending them or passing off as rude – and Link had given her his bowl of pumpkin soup. In a way, he had contributed to her ill state; had he not given it to her, the effects could have been different; she could have gotten better already. "Did she vomit the whole time I was away?"

Midna shook her head negatively, and he felt relief washing over him – no wars for now. "It happened a lot at first, then it stopped for some time and parts of her skin swelled and turned red; she said it was normal and urged us to look through her things again." She paused to place the book on the bedside table. "Zant offered to carry her, but she said it would be best if she remained where she was. We gave her water to rehydrate and suddenly she was wheezing, she could not breathe." His eyes shot in her direction and Link visibly tensed. "We were so lucky to find two samples of the medicine she needed hidden in an inner compartment just in time. If we had taken a moment longer, she would have died."

Link swallowed thickly; there almost was a war. Zelda already did not eat enough and now they found out she could not eat anything that had milk or any dairy products in it. Maybe now he could understand it. She missed meals purposefully so she would avoid ingesting something she should not, thus avoiding nausea and stomachache and anaphylaxis, but there still were many things she could eat, that was no excuse not to join them, no matter how much he enjoyed her absence.

"They found something else."

"What?"

"Father," her fingers touched the rough cover delicately, "can read and speak Hylian, as you know." Link gave a curt nod of his head, urging her to go straight to the point. He had no patience whatsoever. "This diary was written by someone from the castle. It wasn't her or the king; we think it was written by someone close to her."

Her brother let out an exasperate sigh. "And?"

"It says things about her. Very basic things we should've known since she arrived." Link knitted his eyebrows and stared up at her; why was she not speaking fast enough? "Zelda always forgot she had to eat for she was always doing many things. It is hard for her to notice her hunger, so someone – this person – had to remind her all the time. It also speaks of her allergy and other things concerning her health."

"Why didn't she show us this earlier?" He was angry again, Zelda could have avoided all of this, yet she did not tell anyone of the book or of her problems. He was quite sure she was doing it on purpose; she had spoken to the people earlier that day, it was all part of her plan to make him look even worse in the populace's eyes.

"Because, my dear brother Link," Midna started whilst picking up the rectangular object from the bedside table, "this book was addressed to you, her husband. How could she give it to you when you were avoiding her like she was the plague?" Tossing the book against his chest, the older sibling left the younger's chamber, leaving him staring at the cover.

* * *

When Zelda awoke again, there was no way to know the time. The twilight forever covering the lands outside the palace walls did little to help her know for how long she slept. The princess remained with her eyes closed for a while longer, trying to come to her senses and remember anything that happened before she fell asleep, trying to discover what was her current condition. Her head felt heavy and her stomach was empty, but there was a foreign warmth close to her left hand, so she slowly blinked her eyes open, staring straight ahead at the ceiling before turning her head to face the side. Her husband sat there, legs bent with a book balanced on his thighs, eyes darting back and forth between said book and something to his left, with two fingers of his right hand pressed against the pulse of her inner wrist, the touch firm.

It took him a while, but eventually he noticed she was awake and looking at him with those blue-grey eyes of hers, empty and calculating, as if trying to guess his humor through that simple gesture. Quickly, he snapped the book shut and tossed it along with the other object under the bed, and with his fingers on her wrist again, Link moved in just a little closer, close enough to see her in the dim candlelight. "How are you feeling?"

She stared at him mutely for a while, "Better." He nodded, content with the answer he got from her, and held her gaze steadily, as quiet as she was.

Head still spinning, her concentration was way too focused on his skin against hers, making her pulse quicken, and his fingers pressed down harder in response. It was hard to breathe, these sudden displays of concern confused her to no end, she agitatedly glanced about, and he calmly coaxed her into breathing, her face in his hands. His tone was gentle, his touches even more so, it was a great contrast from the way he usually acted, cool and distant, but mostly short tempered, losing his patience over the most trivial of things. She could not help it, but her mind wandered and she wondered of his true nature, asking herself just what he hid under the façade of a man who was angry at most of the world. He was mysterious, closed off around himself and unwilling to open up to her. Zelda turned away from him and shut her eyes tightly, holding her breath until her lungs screamed at her to let go. Link forced her head back towards him, and just as steadily as ever, he commanded. "Breathe."

Air rushed out of her and was replaced in her lungs, her ribcage expanding as much as possible to take in as much as it could. Pulse still quick and strong under his digits, Zelda found in her the power to control her breathing and brushed the thoughts that occupied her mind under a carpet; she would rather uncover them and deal with them later than fuss over them now and create another scene. Only the Goddesses knew how much patience Link had left in store to waste on her, she would not push him to his limits, it was best not to. "I am fine."

Link did not seem convinced, but let go of her anyway and increased the space between their bodies, eyebrows pinched as usual. His wife touched a hand to the column of her neck, as if to see if it was intact and whole, then let it rest over her beating heart. "Why did you not tell us?" She had figured it would come to this. There would come a time when he would ask just why she did not say anything, but what difference would it do now? "Why did you not tell me?"

When he put it that way, it did make her feel guilty, even if the feeling was barely noticeable. She supposed she should have told him, he was her husband; they would be forever together if all went well, he had the right to know, but why should she tell him of all little things of her life when he would not even greet her in the mornings? It was a simple concept, she treated him the way she was treated; Zelda would not put him on a pedestal and give him all her attention when it was not reciprocated, still she would not treat him badly. She did the same as him, only her ways were much subtler than his. At the end of the day, she passed off as a victim, but she was just as guilty as he was, Link just did not know how not to draw attention to him.

"Why would I?" She said nonchalantly, fingers curling around the comforters when her husband went still. "You obviously were not interested in anything I had to say." Zelda closed her eyes and felt the mattress shifting under her, followed by the sounds of muted footsteps. She could not help but feel bad for saying that to his face, but at the same time, she felt better, lighter. Someone had to put her husband back into line and it was she who had to do so.

"I will get you something to eat." Link announced already at the other side of the door, which slid down behind his retreating back, not that she saw it. He should not demand anything out of her; considering he was being and acting so childishly and silly, he had no right to know anything.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Post chapter notes:
> 
> \- Keep an eye out for chapter titles like this one  
> \- Initially, Zelda was simply going to be intolerant to lactose. Then I found out that milk allergy is worse, so I decided to use it to add drama to the story huehue (what drama tho)
> 
> \- Symptons of milk allergy include: vomiting, wheezing, cramps and diarrhea; some are pretty similar to symptons of lactose intolerance. I used most of them, except the diarrhea part because I was not about to describe Zelda pooping. Yeah
> 
> \- Anaphylaxis: basically, it's a constriction of airways that makes it difficult to breathe, among other things like shock and itching. It happens a lot when you're allergic to food, like milk and peanuts
> 
> \- Swelling: where I researched, nothing was said about the swelling of the skin, but it once happened to me because of soda, and just recently to my cousin because of soy, so I used it
> 
> \- Can't tell what Link thinks/feels about Zelda? Don't worry, it'll be explained soon
> 
> \- Zelda finally calls Link out on his bullshit


	8. vii: Center of Figure

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! 
> 
> This past week was a disaster. I went by many hours on consecutive days without power, for no apparent reason or due to strong winds/heavy storms. We live in a two-story house, the reason why he could see from the balcony that the rest of the city had power, but my nerighborhood had not. And also on Thursday and Friday my internet stopped working for no reason, so I was connectivity-less until someone arrived to fix it. ((Just now, while trying to update, it failed to connect me to the site. i'm cry))
> 
> Bad news aside, I baked the most wonderful chocolate-banana cupcakes on Saturday and finished the chapter I was stuck on. Super ready to start the next one, more details at the post chapter notes ;)
> 
> Only thirteen more to go /hands folded in prayer emoji
> 
> Enjoy iiitttt!
> 
> Love you, always, forever

* * *

 

**Center Of Figure**

* * *

 

_ The center of figure of a celestial body (e.g., planet, moon) is the apparent center of the object with respect to its surface and takes into account irregularities in its shape. If the distribution of mass is not uniform, then the  [ center of mass ](http://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEhelp/SEglossary.html#greatest) does not coincide with the center of figure. In the case of the Moon, the offset between the center of mass and center of figure is ~0.5 kilometers. _

 

* * *

 

It had taken time, but Zelda fully recovered. On the day following the sickness, she was feeling better, but was not allowed out the room and was constantly being watched, mainly by Link, who kept reading two books at the same time. As much as she did not enjoy being bedridden, she knew it was for the best and so she accepted it, letting them take care of her foreign sickness in their own way. The medics were of no help; most did not know modern Hylian, and Queen Ellét and King Ardian did not know much of biology to help them produce more of the medicine, seeing as some components were only found in her home country. The princess said there were remedies in Hyrule that would help the swollen areas flatten out faster, but they would naturally disappear, just as eating correctly again would help her stomach heal. Fine with that, but not completely satisfied, the rulers of the realm wondered if they should tell her father, which prompted her to immediately say no. That caught Link’s attention, but he did not show it and instead kept his head bent as he read the books.

“There is no need to worry him,” she had said, “I will heal on my own.”

Truthful to her words, she healed on her own accord, skin turning rosy again as the red shade dissipated and the small mounts of skin decreased in size until disappearing completely. Another week passed until they allowed her to leave the room, and soon she was up and about again, spending most of her time in the library and only meeting them when they had meals. Robyn was doing a splendid job in reminding her she should eat and drink water, he also missed her dearly so, for Link would not let him into their chambers for nothing in the world. She buried herself in geography books, both Hyrulean and Twili, while her new companion tried to read the Hylian encyclopedia she brought along, eager to learn more of her language and her people.

Robyn was fascinated by the idea of a world that was both bathed in light or covered under the dark veil of the night at certain hours. He did not know what it was like when it was completely dark, or when it was completely illuminated, spending all his life trapped in a place where the time of the day did not change much. It had been hard for her to adjust and she still did not know correctly when it was time to rise and when it was time to go to bed. With no sun to guide her through the day, Zelda relied on what others did, knowing by their actions the approximate hour. The Twili had a natural clock inside them that permitted them to know the exact time without even glancing at an actual clock; she was lost in that place and had asked Midna to lend her a pocket watch to help keep track of the hours and the days that passed.

She was healed, as good as she had ever been, as if nothing had ever affected her health. It was some days after being officially permitted to live her life, when she was glancing out the library window and thinking about her researches, that she spotted Zant in the courtyard, treating to his Shadow Kargarok under the cool shade of a tree. Calling out for Robyn and not giving him any time to react, the princess rushed out the room and through the castle, down some sets of stairs until she found herself in the gardens, out of breath and flushed in the face. Zant looked down at her and returned her greeting, and quietly listened to her inquiries before answering. “Are you sure?”

Zelda nodded, “Yes. I would like to learn how to ride a Shadow Kargarok.”

Zant looked about at a loss of what to say. He considered joking,  _for what, so you can run away?_ , but thought better of it; it was best not give her the idea, if she had not thought of it already. “Why me?”

“Because Robyn is not allowed to ride our Kargaroks, and you happened to be in the right place at the right time.”

He looked up to the left,  _wrong place, wrong time,_  the duke thought to himself, and the princess before him nearly smirked – she knew what was going through his mind. “What for?” It was not that he did not like the idea of teaching her how to ride the birds; he did not like the idea of being blamed if she disappeared, but if he were to think logically, where would she run off? She did not know any other place in the Twilight Realm, and if she wanted to go back to Hyrule she would have already gone to the Mirror Chamber two stories under the palace itself.

The princess narrowed her eyes, almost darkly so. Zant realized then and there that she and Link shared a few similarities, for example, both disliked it when people beat around the bush for too long and inquired way too many things, though the princess was much more patient on that aspect, as usual and as expected. “Honestly,” She started, barely masking her huff, “I want to do some other things before I read all the books of the palace archive.” The prince then glanced at the smaller Twili behind her, who, in a rare display, was smiling up at him widely in an encouraging manner. They were all trying to get her to do something else and here she was, asking him to teach her how to ride Shadow Kargaroks. Well, it was better than nothing, it would hardly hurt him to teach her.

His bird screeched and leaned its head towards her, and Zelda reflexively leaned back, barely maintaining her composure in check. Zant chuckled – the distant princess was slightly disgusted at the appearance of their rides, how amusing – and petted it on the neck. “Easy there, boy.” The Kargarok tilted its head in his direction, then stepped back whilst stretching its wings once. “Fine. I will teach you.” Zelda smiled slightly, “But you are not allowed to fly too far just yet, alright?” She agreed to it with the slightest of shrugs, content that she got him to help her. “First we need to get you a Shadow Kargarok of your own.” Taking his bird by the reins, Zant signaled her to stay put while he returned it to the stables.

* * *

 

Terrific, Link thought to himself as he stalked through the hallways; servants had brought him another pile of paperwork and letters that morning, and not only that but his mother assigned him to help his sister write all invitations to the festivities that were slowly approaching that afternoon. His fingers already ached from signing way too many documents, he could only imagine the pitiful state they would be by the end of the day, flat on the tips where he held the quill. He had an awful handwriting, scrawny and distorted, even a cucco could write better than he did. His mother must not like the guests, for if she did she would have assigned someone with a prettier handwriting, like Zelda.

Ah, Zelda. A little over than a month had passed since her arrival and about two weeks since she fell sick. Since then, Link had been secretly studying Hylian, translating that damned book of hers into Twili with the help of an old dictionary that had been passed down on the family for generations. It had to be one of the hardest languages to learn, written in symbols that were difficult to read and even more difficult to copy, but he was getting somewhere. The most basic of words he could easily translate, her name and title written in her mother language were something he had grown used in seeing, for they were written in every page at least twice. If one were to ask him to write her name without looking at references, he could probably do that, it would not look pretty, though; his Twili handwriting was bad, his Hylian was worse. He figured it was time he did something in her favor; it did not mean he was any happy with their relationship, but at least he was starting to accept her in his life, in his own way, not that she knew it. Nevertheless, he would be able to surprise her, on the day she gets tired of him and curses him to the depths of the Dark Realm along with his people in her mother language, he would be able to reply in kind and in Hylian too.

His angel of a wife was just too patient for his likings, though that was a good thing, he supposed; someone in their relationship had to be calm and collected. Link wondered at times, what would happen if they ever had a verbal fight? Would it end on physical aggression or physical affection? He had read many of his sister’s romance books to know what happened after a couple had a heated fight; it usually ended up with a kiss and the grand finale was on their bed. Midna had way too many erotic books, he suspected they were all gifts from Zant.

Link shuddered with a grimace and shook his head to clear his mind. It was best not to think if they used them as reference for their intimate times. It was also best to not get into fights with his wife.

Did he hate Zelda? No. Did he like her? Definitely not. Their relationship was strictly political and it would remain that way for as long as he could keep it unchanged. He had to admit, though, that she could be the key to either a better or a worse life. The opinion of the people on him did not matter, he would not lose sleep over it, but he would not accept it if she became the reason why they would dislike him more, so it was best to treat her kindly and look after her, so she would not badmouth him to others and nothing would upset the populace. He was not going to let an outsider, a stranger, ruin his reputation, no matter how bad it already was – not that he chose it to be that way. Who needed a wife when you had a Shadow Kargarok?

Speaking of which, rumors ran through the palace that Zant was taking the Hylian princess into town that afternoon to get her one of the birds. It would be the first time she would go there after weeks of being locked up in the angular castle and only leaving its insides to go to the courtyards occasionally (read: rarely). While Link wanted to avoid her as much as possible, he would rather accompany her himself so he could escape from the task his mother gave him; Midna would enjoy it more if it were her husband helping her, anyway, though Zant’s handwriting was as terrible as his, if not worse. It would be best if Link were to go with her, too, his brother-in-law did not understand much of Shadow Kargaroks like he did, he would end up believing the seller in whatever they said and would purchase her one that could barely take flight. Maybe if he ran to the front patio fast enough he would be able to stop them and switch places; he would entrust Zant with the task of teaching her, though, simply because he did had the patience for these kinds of things.

With his mind set, Link rounded the corner and darted down the hallway, the long sleeves of his robe flowing behind him as his knees hit the tabard pinned at the front of his tunic. It was just his luck that his sister was waiting for him in a room on the first floor, just a short jog away from the main entrance of the palace. And just as he expected there they were, Zant, Zelda and Robyn descending the last step of the staircase. “Wait!” The three turned at the sound of his voice, watching as he ran in their direction and stopped right before the taller Twili. “You will teach, I will go.” Then he looked at his wife as if asking her if she would accept that or decline, but she merely stared back at him, hardly phased by his actions at all.

Zant watched the interaction in silence, debating in his mind if he should comply with such thing. It was no secret why Link sought them, it was rather obvious even, the guy openly complained at breakfast that the task given to him was a drag and growled to himself all throughout the meal when his mother said she would not change her mind. While on a hand, Zant would be letting him have his way, on the other it was the perfect opportunity to force him to spend some time with the Hyrulean princess. Who knew what would happen after an afternoon doing what Link enjoyed, he might even start talking more to her. The duke had to restrain himself for rubbing his hands together for being given that chance.

An eerie smile crept on his lips, which instantly silenced whatever Princess Zelda was about to say and prompted Link to look at him when her lips sealed shut again. “Sure Link,” the shorter prince swallowed thickly and noticed when Robyn stepped behind his wife – or was she the one who moved to stand before him? “You understand these birds more than I do.” Zant said nothing else as he bowed his head and turned his back to them, ascending the steps in way that made it seem his robes weighed much more than they really did, feet almost dragging on the floor.

The trio stood motionless in place, each staring at a different direction until the future king of the Twilight Realm disappeared behind the front doors of the palace, and Link released a breath quietly. “Let’s go,” he said firmly, whirling around with his arms open as if to escort them the other way. “Quickly.”

* * *

 

Princess Zelda could still feel cold sweat gluing the hairs of the nape of her neck to her skin, and her stomach churned as if she had drunk milk again. Zant’s grin alone was enough to chill her to the bones, but the aura that seemed to emanate from him was the icing of the cake. It seemed to slip through the pores of her skin and turn her blood into ice, hold her heart in a tight grip and suffocate her to death. She did not miss the way the guards nearby seemed to stand still either, holding their breaths until he was away from sight. It was odd, to say the least, to feel such strange sensation coming from him, from someone who seemed harmless and aloof.

“Are you fine?” Link questioned her once they were far from the palace, just bordering the entrance to the town. Assenting with her head once, he then directed his worlds to Robyn who was a few steps behind.

“What was that!?” The youngest yelped, looking over his shoulder to see if they were a safe distance from the building and... Him.

The prince watched as the boy shuddered almost violently. “Zant is– I do not know how to explain exactly. At times things like that happen, alright? But he is usually peaceful and quiet, so do not worry.” He paused, then shrugged almost unnoticeably, “Or so I think.” Robyn stared at him as if Link had confessed that his brother-in-law committed murder before, and the prince merely ignored his wide-eyed gaze. “He is very anxious, too. You have yet to see what he does when he gets nervous. Still, not to worry.”

Zelda nodded solemnly, beckoning to Robyn with a hand. It was easy to see what crossed Zant’s head the moment Link arrived; even Robyn, who was so young, innocent and naïve, could see what was going on. It was just what they were all waiting for, the opening his family was searching for, and Link had gone after her on his own, just their luck. The duke would spread the news around like he would spread butter on his toast every morning: generously, covering all inches of the area, then he would lick his lips in anticipation and admire his handiwork. Despite the weird vibes coming from him after her husband’s arrival, she was glad Link had showed up and triggered such thing to happen; now, Zelda was aware she could not see Zant only as the nice guy who showed her the way to the library on the second day of her stay. Definitely, he was more than he seemed.

Link watched in silence as the young Twili approached his wife, and the Hylian in return laid her hand on his head gently, ruffling his scarf in a gesture of affection as a smile graced her lips. He wanted to scream. The fact that Zelda was much more open towards Robyn than she was towards her husband was, quite honestly, no surprise to him, but she could not touch the kid in public, just as it was best not to touch Link. In fact, it would be best if she could avoid being seen in their company, but the prince did not consider that when assigning Robyn to follow her around all day long. Now regretting his decision of picking him and tagging along, he could do nothing but continue with it. He could either handle their stares or go back to his palace and have his mother all over him to know just what made him go after his wife.

Zelda was his wife, her closest friend was Robyn and she married the imperfect, shunned prince of the Twilight Realm. What a combo. If only the nobles were more accepting of Hyruleans, his life would have been easier from the start.

Quietly, Link approached her and stared intensely at the kid, who understood his silent order and stepped away from the princess. Zelda did not understand why her husband did that, but accepted it for now with a twitch of her eyebrow. She could try to talk to him later about that, although she doubted he would cooperate much.

“Let us get this over with,” Link said curtly, spine straight and chin raised high. He led the way, followed by Zelda and then by Robyn, who trailed behind with his head hung low. The princess tried to shake off the feeling of being intently watched by the people; while she was accustomed to it and their stares did not bother her before, there was something strangely off with them today. Many wore frown on their faces and turned their heads away, while others stared at her with sympathy in their eyes. It was unsettling. Why would the populace do that? Why were they turning their backs on Link, the second son of their king and queen? Why was it that some looked her way and shook their heads, brow furrowed as if she was bound by shackles to the ruler of the Dark Realm?

Mind submerged in questions, Zelda barely paid attention to her surroundings, not seeing much of the city or its market in her first, and probably only, visit. She did not see the Shadow Kargaroks either, did not express her opinions as Link talked to the owner and purchased a bird for her, and did not glance Robyn’s way since it seemed to be prohibited to interact with servants when out in public. Her glazed eyes saw nothing, and Link for the first time wished they could leave to Hyrule already. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Post chapter notes:
> 
> \- "wtf is going on with Zant," you ask, "I don't know," I answer, rubbing my hands in a conspiratorial manner after I adjust my glasses and they do the anime glasses thing  
> \- About that chapter: Link mentions sometimes here, and many times in the future, that the people don't like him. On chap 16 you'll see why


	9. viii: Besselian Elements

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey!
> 
> I got a bit distracted watching a movie, I'm sorry haha
> 
> Well this is the last chapter before my two weeks break. I'll be away on a trip with my parents, I'll have internet connection, but after they drag me out all day long through the historical center of the city I doubt I'll have enough energy to review chapters before publishing them gnhghnh I promise I will write a bit while away, alright?
> 
> I started writing a Link/Fi friendship thingy, so if you'd like to check it ooouuut~~
> 
> To tumblr user inlemoon: thank you for your kind words!!
> 
> I'll see you later, guys!
> 
> Get well soon, bby!

* * *

**Besselian Elements**

* * *

_The Besselian elements are a series of time dependent variables used to calculate various aspects of a solar eclipse. They describe the movement of the Moon's shadow with respect to the fundamental plane. This plane passes through the center of Earth and is oriented perpendicular to the Moon's shadow axis. Next, the shadow cone is projected onto Earth's surface including the effects of Earth's rotation, the flattening of Earth and the latitude, longitude and elevation of the observer. The local circumstances at the observer's position can then be calculated including the eclipse contact times, eclipse magnitude and the duration of totality (or annularity)._

* * *

Link stared unseeingly at the documents placed on his desk, scarred knuckle caught between his teeth and eyebrows pinched as his heart thudded loudly in his ears.

Weeks had passed since their visit to the market and he did not bother in trying to keep track of the time anymore. All he knew was that his wife was being taught by his brother-in-law how to ride the Kargaroks, and since then she had fallen once or twice, but thankfully not from too high. Still her palm was bruised and her left wrist was strained, but she would recover, she would survive. He was sure word of her injuries went past the palace walls, reaching the populace's ears, and now he waited for their words regarding the event. None of them would come and request a meeting to say whatever they had to say to his face, but soon enough he would hear the servants talking, whispering as they worked, thinking they were being quiet enough but his hearing was sharper than they believed.

It was no good.

For certain reasons, they did not like him much, that he understood. For certain reasons, were he the first to be born and not Midna, they would choose her to take over the kingdom when she came of age. Midna was brought to this world first so she would take the throne, these were the rules. He did not envy his sister at all, much on the contrary, he was happy she would be the one sitting on the Twilight throne, and he would be content seating anywhere else but in the Light Realm, but that could not be helped anymore.

Now he did not know anymore if what he did was for his own benefit or for Zelda's. All he did these past weeks was to please the townspeople; he married the enemy and took good care of her, ensured she was healthy and that she would not die in his arms; in his mind, nothing else mattered, only that he was preventing more bloodshed. However, after her first visit to the market, Link did admit that it mattered what the people thought of her - and only her. He was already a lost cause (and for that matter, so was Robyn), but she still could change the people's mindset; the thought of his people disliking someone like her, who barely had something to be disliked, was ridiculous. What he could do to save her from his people's hateful stares? Send her back to Hyrule was the best option, but he could not do that.

He asked some servants about what they thought of her and what the people said after her first public apparition. Some were apprehensive because she was Hylain, some said she seemed quite distant, some complimented her, either for the way she used her words and carried herself or for her looks. It appeared that most of them forgot to whom she was married, but if part of them had a different opinion or hesitated to dislike her at first sight, then the prince guessed that was a good thing.

They did not speak badly of his sister and their parents for they loved them so, but the youngest of the Royal Family was on a different page than the rest of his family, and for being put under a different label he guessed they would judge Zelda based on that. Again, not only she was a Hylian, she was married to him, but she still had a chance to change that, he told himself, and it would be best if she treated Robyn just the way she treated her husband before she got attached to the kid. It would only make things worse if she grew to like him too much.

At what point he started to worry for what the people had to say about her he did not know, but it was happening, he found himself thinking of it too frequently to be healthy. That was not part of his plan. It should not be of his concern, really, but he had long ago accepted things the way they were and someone in this relationship had to be approved by the people; if he could not do it, then she could. It was hard not to care about what they thought and have to please them at the same time, he was not fit to be a king, but it was all to prove his value as a person, he repeated once more, just to see if his mind would absorb the words for once.

She was perfect for the job; someone else would only be better than her if they had the same traits and were Twili. Zelda was elegant and poised, she appeared to be wise, though he could not prove that simply for the fact that he never sat down to have a real conversation with her, but her eyes seemed to hold thousands of years worthy of knowledge, and she exhaled wisdom and breathed compassion. All in all, she was the perfect ruler, now if only the Twili were more accepting of Hylians and the people of Hyrule...

Link had to admit her looks were not as strange as they used to be. She was rather... Pleasant to look at now that he was used to them. He could safely say she was beautiful in her own way, in Hyrule's way, and some of the people said her beauty was unique. Well, it was indeed. She was the only Hyrulean present in their realm; there, in Twilight Realm, she was unique, with her quietness and silent intelligence.

Did the people hate her? It was no secret that the Twili had a dislike for the general populace of Hyrule and vice versa, but did they hate her? Did they hate her, Zelda Harkinian Nohansen, crown princess of the Hyrulean throne, the one who gave up her life to marry and live with the enemy until the moment came for her to move back to her castle? Zelda, who accepted to marry Link even though she did not know him, even though his own people did not like him, even though he would never truly fit with most of the Twili like she never would? Princess Zelda, who befriended Robyn even though he was put under the same label as Link? His wife, who was bound to him by a golden band around her left ring finger and had taken his last name?

Zelda Harkinian Nohansen Tenebra.

Tenebra...

With a sigh, the prince covered his eyes with a hand, feeling a headache coming. He would have to talk to Robyn; surely, he would understand the importance of it.

Life would be so much easier if he were a simple commoner working in a ranch.

* * *

Zelda flipped the page of the Twili geography book, growing a little more restless and tired with every failed attempt she did. Time was running out, soon she would need to talk to the Goddesses, but she could not go back to Hyrule to pay Lake Hylia a visit. The only thing left for her to do was try to find its counterpart in the Twilight Realm; with luck, her words would reach the ears in the sky above and they would grant her a wish, just like they did every year. She would not ask for anything else, never would she wish for something else instead. That was the only thing she asked of them other than guidance and words of wisdom at times. That was the only thing she would give her title and life for, to have this wish granted for just another twelve months.

Her search was fruitless most of the time, but she would not give up. She was persistent. Zelda would give up on anything else, but not on this. And not on riding Shadow Kargaroks either, they were important to her, especially now that she needed to get to this lake, if it even existed, by herself. Why else would she ask to be taught how to ride those weird looking creatures? She would rather read the palace archive of books four times over than fly a bird for more than five minutes, but they were the most important piece of this game, placing high only after the location of the lake.

Her classes, by the way, were not as bad as she expected them to be. The bird behaved nicely, it did not approach her unless she lifted a hand, but riding it was the worst part. She never thought she was terrified of high heights until the moment the creature flapped its wings and prepared to take flight. It had taken her a lot of self-control not to yelp and tell Zant to stop the thing and put her down, and the man was not oblivious to the fact that she broke into cold sweat and held the reins way too tightly in her hands. They started slowly, though. At first, he would guide the bird around while she was sitting on its back, just getting used to the feeling of being perched up there. Then they made it fly short distances, from one end of the courtyard to the other was the farthest it would go, and then she was ready for the best part, in Zant's words.

Flying did not sound bad in her head, but imagining it and actually flying were two different things. For instance, the Shadow Kargarok did not fly as smoothly as expected and right in the first try it fell and she followed suit, landing on her side and bruising her hip, but no one needed to know there was a sore purple spot right above her hipbone. Zant then decided to redo the first two steps hoping the bird would adjust to her and not the contrary, and after a couple of days they were ready to try again. This time the fall was worse. Zelda seemed to be getting the hang of it until the bird decided that, no, it would not carry her any longer, and simply turned just enough so she would lose her hold on it and fall to the ground below. She was just lucky Zant was there to cushion her fall, for he tried to hold her like a hero would, but in the end he toppled over with her and somehow landed on her wrist. Flying classes were canceled until the injury healed.

Some bird Link chose, she thought as she gently poked at the ugly bandage wrapped around her wrist. Was he not the one who was an expert in that kind of thing?

Zelda smiled slightly at the pages of the book, fingertip now running over a gravure of a forest. It was not his fault, but she wanted to say that to him just to see how he would react. How would he take her teasing? Somehow, she was under the impression that she should not try to play around with him, though it would probably make their relationship a lot better. Her head told her to go ahead, but her gut told otherwise and she trusted her instincts too much. Just leave it, she told herself, he would come to her when he was ready to take that step.

The princess closed the book and put it aside with her annotations. Her eyelids felt heavy and her eyes burned, her vision was blurred and her body was drained of energy. She spent the nights reading and researching, growing desperate as days went by and she did not get any closer to finding the lake. Asking someone for its location was out of question, too. She doubted anyone knew what Lake Hylia was, despite its name, or its importance to her; not even Ardian, the only member of the Royal Family to have crossed the Mirror of Twilight and landed on the world on the other side, would know where to find its counterpart. Besides, that was something she had to do. She viewed this as a challenge presented by the Golden Goddesses themselves, and if she wanted them to grant her wish once again then she would have to do something to earn it. So far three major lakes caught her attention; it had to be one of them and she would find out soon, even if she only discovered which was the one on the day before her departure. Not to mention that if she asked anyone about the location, they would surely try to accompany her.

She stood from the chair to head for her bedroom ready for a nap, its legs scrapping the floor lightly. Robyn had taken the day off to help his grandfather and so there was no one to talk to her and keep her awake for a moment longer; she saw no other option than retire to bed earlier than usual.

The only thing left for her to do after finding the lake would be plotting a plan to leave unnoticed and alone. She had to go alone, she always did, even back in Hyrule not one guard accompanied her when she went to Lake Hylia at this time of the year and it would be no different here. Link was a deep sleeper so slipping out of the room unnoticed would be easy, but crossing the castle and courtyard and taking the bird out of its pen would be hard. Already her mind worked to find a solution, and she went through a list of things she could do and excuses she could use to get away with it. Zelda felt bad about lying, but they would not permit that she leave, that much she knew based on their reactions when she ingested milk and was forced to stay bedridden.

But they could not keep her locked up in the palace, whether if they were worried for her wellbeing or something else entirely, Zelda had a life to live and they were not going to interfere. She never had to ask her father for permission to leave and while she knew things worked differently here, she was still the one in control of her life. She would go and face them later, think about their reactions later, apologize if needed when she returned, but she would not let their overprotection, or whatever it could be called, get in the way of her prayers to the Golden Goddesses and she would not promise to never leave again. She would not even consider it.

Her injured wrist was suddenly aching, though the pain was dull and did not bother her much. Still, when she reached her chambers, Zelda unwound the bandages from around her wrist and walked into the adjoining bathroom, leaving fabric strip on the dark granite countertop before filling the sink with water. Twilight Realm was different in many ways from Hyrule. Doors without doorknobs and glowing patterns on the walls aside, they seemed to have indoor plumbing, which she enjoyed greatly. She could fill the bathtub at whatever time she pleased without the need to call for a servant to help and could adjust the temperature of the water until it fit her tastes. The water at room temperature here was far colder than in Hyrule, and later she was informed that the water they had dipped her hand in months ago in her wedding did not have any traces of ice; it was pure, unaltered room temperature water, yet it felt like they had covered her hand in a pile of snow.

Zelda turned the faucet until water stopped running and dipped her hand in the sink, holding her breath at the contact of her warm skin to the cold liquid. Goosebumps traveled up her arm and a shiver rolled down her spine, but she curled her fingers and tried to keep her form from shaking. It would help a lot with the pain, though later her knuckles would hurt too much for her to flex them again.

It would be hard to adjust going back to Hyrule and living without the things she already grew used to. She could not remember when was the last time she pushed a door open, but she could remember clearly the feel of her fingers enclosing around the doorknob and pulling it down, then moving the door forward in an arch until she could see the inside of her bedroom. The bed on the far wall across from the window, made with untouched and unwrinkled bed sheets, pillows lining up the bedpost, roses on the bedside table, a small workspace to her left, a fireplace just across the door, the windows that led to the balcony, which overlooked her favorite part of the courtyard. Zelda could almost smell the roses and the familiar scent of her bed sheets, and feel the heat of the fire burning the logs as she moved to claim her sit on the cushioned armchair before the fireplace.

The door opened then, but instead of hearing the usual click of the doorknob the sound that she heard was muffled tune that hang in the air followed by stone sliding on stone. Her eyes fluttered open and she stared at her reflection in the mirror, not having realized that her eyelids slipped shut while she was daydreaming of her chambers back in Hyrule Castle. Risking a glance through the open door, she spotted Link's figure moving about their room and her lips instantly pressed together firmly to keep quiet. Since they went to the market, things had been weird, she could not explain it exactly. The incident with Zant had left Zelda apprehensive to approach him again, but he was nothing but his usual self after that, reverting to the collected image she was used to – but then, when she fell from the Kargarok and not so gently landed on him, did that image crack and she saw how he truly was. Yet another thing she could not put into words, but the princess never thought she would see a grown man say  _ow ouchies_  after being hit. She tried not to laugh and succeeded, but he saw the fleeting amused smile on her features and returned it in kind – whether he smiled because he was embarrassed or because he was glad she showed some sort of happiness she could not say, they were all very determined to get her to smile more often.

However, with Link things were different and she could not tell if they changed from bad to worse. They already did not speak much before, but ever since their visit to the market he seemed to be more distant, if possible. Whereas before she crossed paths with him in the hallways occasionally during the day, now she only saw him for their meals and when they were ready to retire for the night, he avoided her more than ever. Sometimes she managed to catch his eyes and he stared at her with such intensity that she had to focus on not squirming in her seat, his heavy gaze making her insides stir in an alien way and her breath catch in her throat, and Zelda had to subtly look away or else she would choke on her drink. Even though he did not speak directly to her very often, her husband frequently asked the cooks if they made sure that her meals had no trace of lactose in it as well as cashew nuts – an information she did not know he knew and a food she thought she would not find here – and he did not care if everyone glanced his way as if he had suddenly grown five feet taller and sprouted wings; he would not accept it that she got sick again under his watch, he had said, using the exact same words.

She knew there was more to it than concern. At some point Link had made it clear that all aspects of her life were not of his business, even if he had not voiced it. Zelda just knew he did not care and she told herself to not fret over it, it was inevitable, but the fact that he questioned the cooks before the entire family and knew facts of her life that she did not mention to him made her just a tad bit... Breathless. It made her wonder if he was starting to care for her, and though there was a slim chance that he was indeed having a change of heart, her mind clung desperately to the idea, eager to make their days together easier for the both of them.

Link stopped before the doorway and turned, accidentally meeting her gaze, and she did not look away until he started moving forward towards her, only then did the princess lower her eyes to the water and unclenched her fingers, feeling her knuckles screaming in pain. Zelda made a face and swallowed whilst withdrawing her hand from the water, droplets dripping back into the sink and forming circles. "Does it hurt?" He inquired, standing only a few feet away from her.

Zelda shook her head. "Not anymore." Not her wrist anyway; her fingers were another story entirely. She dried her arm with a soft cotton towel, dabbing it gently on her skin as to not injure it further. He watched her hand move, eyes glazed and almost transfixed before he blinked them and moved his stare back to her face. "Do you need anything?"

He tilted his back just slightly, pressing his lips together momentarily. "I did not find you in the library," he said simply with a nonchalant shrug of his shoulders, fingers absently playing with the bandage lying on the countertop.

She eyed his hand in silence and he seemed to realize what he was doing, instantly lifting the bandage and offering to tie it around her wrist. She complied, extending her own hand for him. "My researches were fruitless, so I decided to retire earlier."

"What were you researching?" Asked Link, eyebrows pinched together as he tied the material about her wrist as gently as he could, careful not to tie it too tightly.

His wife's eyebrows rose, having found the perfect opportunity. "I want to know more of the Twilight Realm." Zelda held her breath when his fingers brushed her skin, his fingers more callused and stronger than hers, and warm, so warm. After a pause, she added, "Could you get me new history and geography books to read?"

Link tied the knot then lifted his head and gaze to her face, pondering her request. It seemed harmless enough and it was something that was in his reach, he could easily do that. With a nod he said, "I will get them delivered to you by tomorrow morning." And then she smiled to show her appreciation, and he dumbly stared at her face with a blank look that hardly masked how awkward, if not flustered, he felt for being the one to whom her smile was directed to. Distantly, he wondered if Robyn still felt like that often or if by now he had grown used to it.

Then, as if noticing he was still holding her hand, the prince released it and excused himself, leaving the chambers just as calmly as he had entered, and leaving Zelda behind analyzing his handiwork, heart fluttering in her ribcage.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Post chapter notes:
> 
> \- I thought it would be cool to give Link a last name?
> 
> \- Tenebra (or Tenebrae, they're almost the same thing): Latin; darkness, obscurity, night, dark corner, ignorance, concealment
> 
> \- If Link's thoughts confuse you, just know that his plan backfired


	10. ix: Eclipse Magnitude

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's-a me, I am back and whole!
> 
> The trip was good for me, because I'm an architecture student and I got to meet some historical cities and see their architecture live, but I there were SO MANY ladders. There was one in which we needed to stop because I couldn't breathe, walk and eat at the same time lmao (I was having ice cream, yeah)
> 
> And you know that here Zelda is allergic to milk and all, so imagine how I'm feeling now that my stomach is sensitive for some reason and I get sick whenever I eat cheese. It's all thanks to the sundried tomatoes I had last week, which I love btw, especially in pizzas, but why did I eat pizza again this weekend jfc I regret that, I regret that so much
> 
> Anyway, here's the new chap! And know that I wrote a new thing for Tales of Twilight. And I had another idea this afternoon. Three stories to be planned and written, I can't keep up
> 
> Enjoy!! 
> 
> You're so talented, you play that violin and rock it

* * *

**Eclipse Magnitude**

* * *

_Eclipse magnitude is the fraction of the Sun's diameter occulted by the Moon. It is strictly a ratio of diameters and should not be confused with eclipse obscuration, which is a measure of the Sun's surface area occulted by the Moon. Eclipse magnitude may be expressed as either a percentage or a decimal fraction (e.g., 50% or 0.50). By convention, its value is given at the instant of greatest eclipse._

* * *

 Zelda had her arms wrapped around her form as she walked through the darkened halls of the palace, a long satin robe covering her body, and bedroom slippers clad feet padded quietly in the dead of the night as she tried to recall which way would lead her to the kitchen. Link was sleeping soundly back in their room, coming close to snoring at any time soon, and she was glad he was tired enough that he was almost making noises. If he snored, it meant he was so tired that he would not wake up so easily, thus it meant she could make as much noise as she wanted when packing her things.

She turned right and sighed out in relief when she saw no one standing in the corridor. Zelda had managed to hide her pair of riding boots inside the mailbag she found lying about in the closet and would rather change her shoes outside of the palace, but if she wanted to bring some snacks and water with her, she would have to do it by the time she arrived in the kitchen. Her robe would have to be removed as well before she left for the outside, but if she was not mistaken, there was a door leading directly to the courtyard, a quick escape in case someone happened to pass by, but they would not, it was far too early according to her pocket watch.

It had been so easy. Link all but collapsed onto the bed, the mattress shifting as he clawed his hands at the comforters and pulled it over his body all the while mumbling incoherently, few of which his words she somehow made out. Her eyes did not stray away from the pages of her book and her lips quirked up almost too happily as she answered that yes, she would be awake for a while longer, and when he groaned again she replied with "goodnight, Prince Link," and waited for at least five minutes before the first traces of snores left his mouth. Content with his unconsciousness, the princess calmly got up from the bed and went to prepare a shower, closing the door quietly behind her back and slipping inside the bathtub, eager to leave. Still she took her time to bathe, feeling rejuvenated after an entire day of lounging in bed and sleeping through most of it, a feat she somehow managed to pull. Zelda dismissed Robyn that day and lent him her encyclopedia so he could study Hyrule's history further without her, and she had no doubts that he would do exceptionally well without her being there to help him.

Her notes were hidden among the pages of the book she was reading by the time her husband got to their chambers, but hiding them there was not needed seeing as Link was so fatigued he barely spared her a glance, not that he would. She let it not get to her, but she could not deny that she was not completely pleased with his reaction, or lack of thereof, at the sight of a book in her hands. Sometimes he was out of his mind just enough to ask what she was reading, though it rarely happened, then he would remember he was not supposed to be talking to her and would grow silent and only speak again to wish her a good night's sleep.

The kitchen was deserted, just as she had hoped. Light filtered through the windows and painted squares of orange light on the dark floor, and for some reason it made her think of her home, of the lively kitchen with polite cooks and baskets of fresh vegetables brought from the market streets of Castle Town, and at times the cooks would be careless enough to let a cucco slip inside while the princess was present in the same room. She thought of the burning logs under big pots of food, coal ovens that baked her favorite goods, fine tea sets placed on silver trays with freshly baked pastries with fresh cut up fruits on the side. She thought of the taste of Hyrulean coffee and how she missed it, how the green tea from Twilight Realm tasted odd in her tongue and burned her throat, then she thought of the scenery and how it differed greatly. Here the leaves were of a darker green shade that resembled black, the same could be said about the trunks that were, usually, thin and elongated and twisted at odd angles. Everything was darker than usual and that was something she could not seem to adjust.

After only some weeks in this Realm, Zelda had already grown used to the luxuries it provided, such as the indoor plumbing and the doors that opened by themselves, going back to Hyrule would leave her a bit lost when the time came for her to bathe, but she would always readjust, it was not so hard. Link, however, would feel it the most, having lived with these things for all of his life. He already did not like the idea of having to leave Twilight and move to the other side of the mirror; he would only hate the experience even more.

Oddly, Zelda felt distress tugging at her heartstrings, but quickly pushed it aside as she stepped further into the kitchen and proceeded to change. Sitting on a stool, she removed her shoes and put on her boots, then shrugged off her robe and neatly folded it before placing it into the mailbag along with her fluffy slippers. Now standing on her feet again, she went about to collect some snacks, just a few apples and oranges, maybe a loaf of bread, and she did not forget to fill two canteens with water, she would need that. Satisfied with what she got, the princess arranged the items inside her bag and closed its clap in a hurry, rushing out the kitchen through the backdoor that thankfully existed, afraid someone would come even if it was still too early to rise.

She pulled the hood of her riding gown over her head and ran through the courtyard towards the stables, finding some resistance to open the heavy doors, but she gave her all and forced it open with a grunt, the hinges squeaking almost too loudly in the silent atmosphere. Epona and most of the birds awoke with the sound, and so did hers, head snapping up from its comfortable place under its wings to glance at the woman catching her breath on the doorway. Touching her braid for a brief moment to check if it was still tied securely, the princess glared at the bird's head as she made her way to it, steps heavier and tenser than usual and movements sharper as she yanked the door of its pen open and took it by the reins. "Listen here," she said firmly whilst leading it out of the barn, "You will cooperate, and if you do not I will have you fried for dinner, do you hear me?" Perhaps she should feel a bit crazy for talking to the Shadow Kargarok, but it seemed to understand her words, as weird as that sounded, and she huffed in contentment.

Checking the clock quickly before mounting the beast – it read three-fifty in the morning – Zelda inhaled deeply and held her breath as she kicked and urged the bird to run and fly, and soon they crossed over the outer walls of the palace, the farthest they had ever gone.

* * *

In the morning, Link woke up to find the other side of the bed cold and empty and neatly made. While it was not a foreign occurrence, for his wife was more of an early riser than he would ever be, it was still unsettling that there was no sound of running water coming from their adjoining bathroom. He sat up slowly, one hand on his face as he rubbed the sleep away from his eyes and blinked them several times to fully wake up, lips twisted in a frown at the thought of having to get up and work on more boring paperwork, and often times he wondered how his life would be if he were raised as a simple ranch boy, living in a secluded little village away from the busy capital.

The prince sluggishly pushed himself out of bed and dragged his feet towards the windows, yanking the thick, dark curtains open to let the orange light of perpetual twilight illuminate his room and cast long shadows on the floor. As he looked at his chambers now, her half of the bed made and her presence absent from the room, he almost felt like he was single again, but the golden band around his finger weighed way too much to let him forget he was married to a princess of another realm, and his fingertip brushed over the cool metal absentmindedly before his hands dropped by his sides and he went inside the bathroom. A bath was much needed and he left the water running as he retrieved a clean change of clothes and stripped himself of his pajamas, leaving them lying by the foot of the bathtub. Link stepped inside and lowered himself to lean against the edge, arms hanging over the brim and hot water slowly but surely rising up to cover all of his body. As he drummed his fingers on the fine, polished material of the bathtub, his half lidded eyes stared blankly at the wall for he had nothing better to look at. A sigh escaped his lips and he closed the faucet, waterdrops dripping from its end and falling by his feet, and he watched transfixed as circles formed like they had on the previous day when Zelda had her hand submerged in the sink not too far from him.

Frowning at his own behavior, Link huffed and started to wash himself, now eager to start the day.

Minutes later, he was clean and changed, walking to the dining hall with his hair still damp from his bath and fists lightly clenched by his sides. He was in a sour mood and had little patience left in stock to do his chores of the day, but it was not like he could dump all of it on Midna's back so he could run away to the forest and be truly alone to think and relax. The servants seemed to notice the vibes that came from his moving form and they fled his way by entering the closest room they came across or pressing their backs to the walls whilst holding their breaths, silently watching as the prince went on his way through the castle. It was not unusual, but when the prince was angry, he was angry and no one better not stand in his path lest he decides to blow up the moment he sees their face. Though the rare times when Zant let his bad aura known, Link's was far worse, he had a temper that was hard to control and often felt the urge to break things to calm down. There was a reason why the Royal Family kept a room full of cheap clay vases and pots: so the young prince could break them and not someone's arm.

At the moment, he was considering taking a detour for that room, but his need to check on his wife to guarantee that things kept running smoothly outweighed his need to smash something to pieces. Link's nerves flared up slightly when he entered the dining hall and did not spot her there, and his family grew quiet as he stood rooted to the spot by the threshold for a long moment before stiffly making his way to his seat, fringe slightly obscuring his face. "Where is Zelda?"

Both his mother and father shared a glance, and it was Midna who spoke before any of them could even part their lips. "She woke up earlier than us all." Unbeknown to her, the first half of her lie was correct. "By the time we arrived she had already left. She's off somewhere with Robyn." Link regarded his sister in silence, then nodded seemingly pleased with her answer and turned his attention to the food.

The rest of the family was just as good liars as Midna was and they knew exactly what to do so Link would not doubt her words. They fell back into an amicable conversation, working to maintain relaxed posture and voices, and avoiding looking his way too much as to not rise suspiciousness. While they, but his mother especially, were happy that Link was showing he cared for his wife, they could not brush aside the feeling that there was something very wrong with it. It was sudden and literally happened overnight, as if something happened during his sleep and marked him so deeply that it led him to act differently around her. Ardian joked halfheartedly when alone with his wife and daughter that Link had seen an event involving Zelda in his dreams and while his son had never had any prophetic dreams before, it was known that his daughter-in-law was extremely sensitive to spiritual occurrences – maybe her presence around him could trigger something in him.

Now it seemed, however, that the source of his foul mood was the absence of his wife. Clearly, she was not in the room when he woke up and none of them happened to see her before meeting in the dining hall, simply believing that the Hyrulean princess was in her chambers with her husband. They would keep the act going until they found where she was hiding; in his current state, Link really did not need to know that no one had a clue about her whereabouts.

Elliét sipped her tea gingerly, eyes holding Midna's gaze. "The festival is just some weeks away." The delicate teacup touched the saucer with a light  _clink_  when she lowered it away from her lips. "I am so excited!"

Midna smiled at her mother. "We should try our outfits today. What do you think, Link?" She inquired with a slight quirk of her eyebrow, trying to drag her brother into the conversation in hopes to take his mind out of his wife. She felt weird doing that, all this time they were trying to make him think of her and now...

"Not in the mood," he grumbled darkly from behind his cup of black coffee. His elbow and forearm were propped on the table, his shoulders slumped and there was a dark glare on his face; he was the perfect picture of someone ready to explode any moment.

His sister was not to be deterred so easily. "Then what do you say that we go through the desserts on the menu this evening?"

Link's eyes, which had been zeroed on the basket of fruits, Zelda's favored foods in the mornings, shot in her direction and he pondered over her words. Midna was smiling invitingly, knowing that the only way to get him to relax a bit was to include sweets on their schedule, and since Link's favorite dessert was part of the menu it would be easier to persuade him. Link did not look intimidating in the least, but his short-tempered nature could make up for his lack height and glowing red eyes. Thankfully, this unique man had a unique weakness: his sweet tooth. As childish as it sounded, one could calm him down before he reached his breaking point if they offered him something sweet that he liked. Not many people, such as the servants, knew of this trick, though; it was something Midna found out by accident when they were youths.

Returning his gaze to the fruits, Link nodded curtly and sipped his drink, not seeing when Zant's shoulders dropped in relief even though the man was sitting across from him.

* * *

Zelda rummaged through her mailbag, but the silver pocket watch was nowhere in sight. She huffed angrily, going after her annotations and the compass she found in the library instead, glad that at least she could see if she was going in the right direction or not. The arrow pointed north and she studied her hand drawn map intently, the reins of her ride secured firmly around her right wrist. The left one still hurt at times, but she would not let a little pain stop her from talking to the goddesses.

The geography books Link brought her when asked were better than the ones she found in the library. They had more information, more maps and details, and coupled with the ones she had already seen and her own geography books from Hyrule she managed to find what she called to be Lake Hylia's counterpart. It was located southeast of Twilight Palace and according to her calculations only a few hours away. Zelda believed that Shadow Kargaroks moved faster than horses; in her head, she would cover the distance in much less than five hours, but now there was no way to know if she really would for it seemed her pocket watch fell from her mailbag at some point. She would have to get Midna a new one, no problem, but now she was relying purely on instinct to find out how much time her little escapade would take. Hopefully, they would not worry if they did not see her for a few hours; she did, after all, leave during the night, and they would be awake only for the minority of her time away.

Her bird chose to sit beside her under the shade of a tree when they stopped to rest for a few minutes. Zelda was impressed at the layout of Twilight Realm, it was much different than Hyrule. She did not notice much when she left the palace weeks ago, but when she was flying over the city, she saw just how unique the place was. Sure, Hyrule had endless cliffs too, if one were brave enough to wander too close to the borders of Hyrule Field, especially the western portion located north of Kakariko Village and Death Mountain, they would see just how deep it was, but Twilight Realm was composed mainly of cliffs than plains and mountains. From above, they seemed like islands, but instead of being surrounded by a body of water there was nothing but a bottomless pit to greet you, and now she understood why they used birds and not horses, not that she had seen any of the latter around. Zelda had a feeling that the Twili had no clue of what a horse was in the first place.

The state of eternal twilight that shrouded the land did not help much, either. Even in broad day light, glimpsing at the bottom of the cliffs of Hyrule would grant you with the view of darkening stones until they, at some point down below, blackened out. In Twilight, due to the lack of a midday sun, or the lack of a sun itself, caused the cliffs to grow dark much closer to the edge than in Hyrule, which betrayed just how far one could fall. You could jump and find out that there was solid ground some feet below, or you could jump and find that the hole stretched deeper than the ones back at home, not that she knew how far those ones went.

The princess could not help but imagine what would happen to her if the bird decided to try to drop her once again. With a shudder, she put her things away and urged the Shadow Kargaork to stand. They were not very far.

She admired the scenery whilst flying through the air. The twilight was beautiful, and the weirdness of the dark trees seemed to compliment it nicely, even though the plants were odd looking. Some clouds resembled fog in her eyes, and she wondered in the back of her mind if it rained here, too. So far, not one drop of water fell from the sky since the princess arrived. She wanted to know if the Twilight Realm and Hyrule had things in similar, having already found out that her temporary home was far more developed than the kingdom she grew up in, but those were things she could try to adapt and install all throughout the territory, although it would take a few years.

Finally, she spotted it, the lake. Lake Hylia's Twili counterpart lay in the center of a plain, surrounded by round rocks and medium sized bushes with few trees scattered about, and high boulders on its far side that resembled the stones that separated the Lanayru Province from Gerudo Desert. They landed and the princess dismounted the Shadow Kargarok, leading it through the open space and closer to the rock wall, inspecting it until she spotted an alcove, an opening on its rough and jagged surface. After tying the bird to a tree close by the lake so it could drink and leaving some apples behind for it to snack on, she glimpsed inside the cave before entering, finding that the inner walls glowed almost eerily, a soft blue light that made her think of the patterns drawn everywhere in the Twilight Palace. Further into the small cave she went and not too far from the entrance she found a shallow pool of water, which, oddly, seemed to be the source of the glow that illuminated the area. That was the perfect spot, Zelda decided, as she brought herself to her knees and her right thumb drew the outlines of a triangle on her bosom starting from the bottom left: Wisdom.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Post chapter notes:
> 
> \- I imagine Twilight Realm being like Skyloft: all islands and pits. That's one of the reasons why I use Shadow Kargaroks as means of transportation haha  
> \- still laughing at Zelda for threatening the bird, just so you know lmao


	11. x: Greatest Eclipse

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heeello!
> 
> I know that I disappeared for some weeks and I could explain, but it would take far too long to write. In short, uni caught me by surprise with so many things to do right in the first month and I feel like I've lost my biggest motivation for this story. That doesn't mean that it will go on hiatus or will be discontinued, though. I'm glad to say I have planned the concrete, definite ending during these past days, but on the other hand, I will, from now on, update this once every two weeks, on Mondays. Friday is out of option and I'm hardly around on the weekends, but once every two weeks I won't have classes, so I can update it just fine. And also, it will give me time to write a bit more since I haven't touched the file since February 10th (thanks, Hyrule Warriors!!)  
> Some parts of the upcoming chapters sound so weird and so silly and so ridiculous even omfg, but they're all part of this plot that doesn't make sense anyway so who cares lmao
> 
> I will try to answer to some old reviews! Enjoy this chap!!
> 
> lil boy too pure for this world

* * *

**Greatest Eclipse**

* * *

_For solar eclipses, Greatest Eclipse (GE) is defined as the instant when the axis of the Moon's shadow cone passes closest to Earth's center. The computation of the duration of the total (or annular) phase at this point is typically done using a smooth edge for the Moon that ignores the effects of mountains and valleys along the lunar limb. For total eclipses, the instant ofGreatest Eclipse offers a good approximation (typically ~1-2 seconds) to the Greatest Duration_ _of totality along the entire eclipse path. The instant of Greatest Eclipse is easily calculated for total, annular and partial eclipses, and is the standard time used for comparing different eclipses with each other._  
 _For annular eclipses, the instant of Greatest Duration may occur either near the time of Greatest Eclipse or near the sunrise and sunset points of the eclipse path._  
 _For lunar eclipses, Greatest Eclipse is defined as the instant when the Moon passes closest to the axis of Earth's shadow._

* * *

There was a rhythmical  _drip drip_  that filled the air as drop after drop fell into the small pool, leaving circular waves in its wake. These were a familiar sight she usually connected to the Goddesses for no specific reason; since a young age she always imagined that this was their way of showing they were listening and in moments like this she guessed it was true, for when she visited the Light Spirit's cave, Lanayru, in Hyrule, the same happened to the water of its shrine – and only when she was visiting at that time of the year.

The pool itself reminded her of Lanayru's cave, even the location. This truly was Lake Hylia's counterpart and if the water was moving, then the Goddesses could hear her from the other side of the mirror.

Zelda dragged her thumb to the center of the triangle after going through all forces, Power, Wisdom and Courage, and let it rest there where all powers balanced themselves. She murmured an old Hylian prayer and a tingling sensation spread throughout her body, going far to the very tips of her toes and warming her insides, coursing through her arteries and veins and reaching every cell in her body. There was a buzz in her ears as she started the prayer over again for a second time, the feeling growing stronger and almost unbearable as it nearly suffocated her, leaving her breathing hard instead. Her finger shook against her bosom, but never strayed from the center of the imaginary figure she drew there, and her legs and arms locked in place, growing heavy as if made of stone.

The buzz disappeared from her ears and she could no longer listen to anything nor move her limbs. The princess could not hear the  _drip drip drip_  nor her own breathing, she was sightless even though her eyes were open, her lungs hurt and screamed for more air, but there was nothing she could do, only wait.

Soon, a drip echoed in her ears and she regained control, bringing her thumb to her forehead to draw a Triforce there before lacing her fingers together before her chest, lowering her head until her lips were concealed behind her hands. A second later voices reached her ears, muffled at first but growing louder and clearer as they approached, three tones speaking in perfect synchrony and unison, greeting the Light Princess as her eyes slipped shut and her body froze in place again.

It always seemed to amaze her, and to some extent scare her, how it felt like her spirit was leaving her body when the Golden Goddesses appeared. She felt light and heavy at the same time, she could hear two heartbeats, but could never open her eyes to see if upon glancing to her side she would spot her form kneeling there. She could see, though, a place where the sky was pitch black and the waters that ran underneath her feet resembled liquid gold, shimmering and lightning up the area, but there was no way to know if it was only a figment of her imagination or if her spirit had risen up towards the skies to meet with the deities in the Sacred Realm. Zelda could see, too, from her kneeling position on the golden river, three equally golden forms watching her from not too far. They had no face whatsoever, not ones that she could make out anyway, and they stood as bodies of pure light, just watching and waiting for her to be the first to move.

Zelda could feel her body working, though there was no way to know if she truly was shifting, her hands lowering to her thighs and sliding down the soft fabric of her riding gown until her palms touched the waters, and they slid further until her back was forced to lean forward and her forehead came to touch her knees as she bowed deeply before the deities. She remained silent until she was given permission to move.

"O child of light, please rise."

Obediently, the princess brought herself to her kneeling position, hands limply resting on her lap. Another moment of silence, her dress clung to her legs and strands of her hair that fell into the golden water stuck to her back, goose bumps rose on her skin at the contact with the cool liquid; her fingers curled inwards slightly, waiting.

"What is it that you sought us for?" They spoke as one, and though Zelda could see no eyes, she felt their piercing stare on her form, looking past her pupils and into her skull.

She inhaled before speaking, "I wonder if Your Graces could grant my wish this once again." After a pause, she added, "And maybe grant me few answers." Zelda knew it was unwise to ask more of them, but there were things she wanted to know, they were not things that would mess with the balance of the universe, they were things her human heart needed to know. She needed an answer, craved for one even, and the Golden Goddesses did not need to give her elaborated words full of details, only a yes or no would suffice.

Nayru, who stood on the far left, glanced at Farore, who in turn looked at Din's way, the one who stood in the middle. Even standing like this they resumed their respective positions in the Triforce, which helped the princess know who was who, seeing as they were physically identical to one another. They said nothing, only regarded each other as if forgetting the Hylian was present. Zelda knew they would listen to her first request, but had no idea if they would even consider the second. She hoped they would, though, months without any contact with the Light World were getting to her.

Together they faced forward, and again the spoke in unison. "What is it that you wish?"

Zelda bowed her head, locks of hair falling about her face. "I wish that Your Graces watch over my mother in the Sacred Realm and ensure that she is safe and happy."

Many times in her life, the princess sought the Goddesses for answers and guidance, and many times they did not say anything insightful, only clues and puzzles she would have to solve by herself. Many times, she asked them for information regarding her husband, but they never revealed bits of his personality or his past and always said she would find out in due time. The only thing that they granted without fail was this, a wish that they looked after her deceased mother, the one who passed away due to a miscarriage of what would have been her younger brother. And now, she longed to ask them if her mother was content with her marriage or if she was opposed to it just as Queen Rutela was, but the Goddesses would not say it, they never said more than necessary.

"Your mother fares fine," they said, "Under our gazes she shall be protected."

The princess smiled slightly and murmured her thanks before straightening her back. She would not be sad if they could not grant her a few answers, this was enough. Her mother's safety mattered more than a couple of words. Yes, this was enough. She could always try to find a way to contact Hyrule, maybe King Ardian would help her, if he were in a good mood that is; after all, Zelda simply ran away from the Palace of Twilight for a few hours, who knows what could be transpiring back there? She was torn between the two possible scenarios; if they did notice her absence she would need to explain herself, but if they did not then it meant her presence made no difference in their lives. While she would rather not give out explanations, she did not like the idea of being left aside either. And the worst of all was that she knew her husband could not care less, no matter how protective and caring he was sounding these past few days.

Feeling distress clenching her heart, Zelda barely heard when the Golden Goddesses spoke again. "What answers do you seek?"

* * *

Link was having a good day of sorts, but that was what made it suspicious. Everyone was being nice – too nice even. Usually, Midna would not be this nice unless she wanted something from him, or wanted to  _keep_  something from him. He narrowed his eyes at his dark quill in annoyance; how much longer would it take until it was time for him to try out the desserts with his sister that evening?

Across from him sat his sister filling out her own papers and chatting away mindlessly, keeping a one-sided conversation flowing naturally between them. He wanted to tell her to shut up, he was not in the mood to put up with this nonsense, but he knew just exactly what would happen if he blew up on her; Midna would not take it silently and something bad would ensue. Probably a fistfight or they would end up throwing balls of energy at one another in the courtyard, and while he did need to blow off some steam, that would not help much. He had yet to see his wife, but he had no clue where to search for her.

Asking his family and servants would do no good; the latter would not know and the former would tease him, which he would not take kindly. He had asked someone to find Robyn and bring him, drag the kid over to his office, but the young Twili was nowhere to be found. Link considered persuading his grandfather in a not so gentle way, but his reputation was already bad enough and if words got out, then... He resisted the urge to pull at his hair in frustration. This was all he could think about lately, what the people thought of him, but more importantly, what they thought of  _her._ It was a silly thing to worry over – why did it matter if they liked him and his wife or not? They would not remain in that realm for too long anyway – but still it got to his nerves. What if they did not like her? Why would they not like her? How dare they not like her? Zelda was a better ruler than he would ever be, it was an unacceptable idea, and he would not have it.

He gritted his teeth angrily, dipping the tip of his quill into the pot of blue ink with a little more strength than necessary. Why did she have to marry him? Whereas before he was angry that he had to put up with her, now he was angry that she had to put with him. She was older, more mature, wiser, and so far, he was only being a big whiny baby. She had gone as far as presenting herself to the population without him knowing, and therefore, without his presence, and he at the time did not think that it would only make him look even worse in the populace's eyes, especially if they started respecting her ever since. What made him madder? The fact that she was not as pathetic as he thought she would be, or that he was the pathetic one in their relationship? Gods, was he mad at himself.

From her seat across from him, Midna noticed when Link nearly stabbed his documents, leaving an angry blue blotch of ink on the line where his signature should be, and he hastily shoved the paper aside, crumpling it in the process. She refrained from flinching and kept her cool, words still flowing out of her mouth as she pretended not to have noticed anything. She had never seen Link this agitated because of someone – because of Zelda – and she did not want to think of what he would do if he found out that she was missing. The outcome would not be pretty; would he take it out on them for hiding the truth or on her for disappearing? Probably both, though judging for his behavior these past days she was more inclined to believe he would lash at them only.

To her, this was all one big incognito just as it was for the rest of the family. From night to day, Link started caring for Zelda, and openly so, and the princess did not object to it; in fact, she hardly showed she acknowledged his actions. It left them wondering if they had a reconciliation of sorts that no one knew about, or if this was only on his part alone. Zelda did not speak nor interact much with them, the person she was closest to was not even part of the family, just a boy who had been assigned by her husband to keep her entertained as if she was some sort of pet. Now it seemed her dear brother was paying the price for ignoring her in the first weeks of her stay.

"Can you shut up, Midna?" Link spoke from his seat through gritted teeth, voice strained and low. "You're not making any sense."

His sister arched a pretty eyebrow, but said nothing. Up to this moment, she was reciting old poems and lyrics of her favorite songs and was even calling him names, but Link was far too distracted to notice it until now – that if he truly decided to pay attention and did not simply get tired of the sound of her voice, which she guessed was the case. She would give him the satisfaction of being quiet, though; he was volatile that day, it was best not to push his buttons too much, so she simply smiled too sweetly at him and went back to her documents, humming under her breath to pass time. There was a clock on the wall and with every  _tick tock_  of its pointers she grew more and more restless. Zant was supposed to come to her if he found any clue of Zelda's whereabouts, and after two hours since he started he had not made an appearance yet.

It seemed Fierce Deity heard her silent prayers, though, for not three minutes later her husband knocked on the door. Midna all but leapt from her seat and bolted to the only exit of the room, saying over her shoulder to Link that she had things to do and would be back soon, but he was too occupied glaring at the paper before him to even notice her rush. She dragged her husband away and the tall man nearly tripped on his own feet. "Where is she?" She asked in a hiss, hands on her hips and a scowl on her face. Zant swallowed thickly.

"Nowhere to be found, it seems." Her jaw dropped open for a moment, and he resisted the urge to fiddle with his fingers. "I've searched everywhere. No one saw her."

Midna pinched her nose bridge and shut her eyes to think, exhaling slowly through her nose. "The Mirror of Twilight?"

He shook his head negatively, and she sighed in relief. "It's cold. No one used it ever since her friends returned to Hyrule."

"Robyn?"

"He's not around." Midna narrowed her eyes then in suspiciousness. "I found his grandfather. Said he is at home, so I sent a letter requesting that he came by."

The princess leaned back against the wall, feeling her body growing heavy. "What if something happened to her?"

Zant frowned slightly. "It's unlikely that she was kidnapped." Glancing down at his feet, he added, "And she wouldn't take her Shadow... Oh."

Midna's eyes widened, instantly catching on his train of thoughts. "The Shadow Kargarok!" Tugging on his sleeves, she got her husband to bolt through the hallways with her. "Quick! To the stables!"

* * *

Zelda bit the inside of her cheek gently, eyes averted to the side and feeling the heavy gaze of the Golden Goddesses upon her unmoving form.

Should she go for it? While it was not of their character to prolong their meeting for any reason, they were willingly giving her the chance to ask the questions hanging on the tip of her tongue; whether or not they would give her a concrete answer was up to them. Zelda, in a rare display of greediness, could take this chance with open arms and no regrets. What were the odds that this would happen again? Not very soon, she knew that, and she would not be returning to Hyrule any time soon to check on them with her own eyes. Might as well take what she was given, albeit a bit hesitantly.

Therefore, the princess swallowed and searched for the right words; the first question would be the easiest to ask. "How are Queen Rutela and Prince Ralis faring?" She had no means to contact them. Sending letters over the mirror would only prove to be troublesome. She could pass them through it and receive them just fine, but on the other side, there were no walls to block the wind, the letter would be easily swept away. Not to mention the Mirror Chamber was located on top of an abandoned building in the middle of the desert, far away from most villages and towns of Hyrule; which postman in their right mind would venture into that scorching hot sand pit? Not one that she knew.

The deities went silent, as they usually did when looking for an answer. Zelda often wondered how they communicated among themselves when she was present. Were the golden spirits before her their physical bodies or only representations? If the former, did they use telepathy to come up with a response of their liking? If the latter, were they vocally conversing somewhere else? There was not much the princess knew about them and they let very little things pass. She knew only the basics, the truths spoken in the legend that was well known in the vast land of Hyrule, and scarce things she could pick up from their annual meetings. Though they always spoke as one, Zelda caught on little details of their voices and could easy tell apart one from the other by now. Nayru's voice was smoother, Din's voice was deeper, and Farore's voice sound was high pitched and playful, like one of a child's. Each managed to give a specific vocal embodiment to their forces, Power, Wisdom and Courage. Zelda was not sure how she learned to see all these little things.

There was a humming that sounded before they gave her their definite answer, and the princess could feel the waters running past her a little faster; her time was coming to an end. "They are well," they said, but she could tell there was something more to it. "You will reunite with them soon, albeit shortly." Zelda nodded in acknowledgement, content that she was given the chance to see them, even if for a short time. "Anything else?"

She stilled under their ever watchful and perceptive stare. Of course they knew, why had it ever crossed her head that they would be oblivious to the inner workings of her mind? They knew that was not the only thing she wanted to ask – they knew exactly what it was that she wanted to inquire – but would only give an answer until she voiced the words loud and clear. Zelda, who could most of the times decide on something with ease and no further ado, always caught herself thinking twice and questioning her own actions when in their presence. They tortured her so, made her doubt herself in times like this. She was always so confident, they knew that very well; did they take pleasure in making her falter once in a while? The princess supposed it could be fun, if you had a twisted mind and a certain liking for this kind of thing. To play with someone so collected until they broke apart under your gaze and showed you the darkest depths of their soul was something only few people could do, and certainly, they would feel proud for achieving this.

Zelda swallowed; would she ever be on one of the ends?

The Goddesses loomed over her, the water licked at the fabric around her legs that clung to her skin. Time was growing short and she had to decide. Better regret asking than regret letting this rare chance pass, but how exactly would she voice it? Did she like him, did he like her? Her pulse drummed in her ears, the buzz a distant sound that would only get louder. Better hurry.

"Where do Link and I stand?"

The waters that previously went up to her knees now covered her thighs and inched higher, covering her hips then her waist. The ringing was still muffled, but growing clearer and clearer with each moment that ticked by. She could move no longer, the water now up her chest, arms locked in place, palms glued to her covered thighs, hair flowing with the current. When the liquid reached her collarbones she felt her heart jerk, when it touched her chin she grew desperate. She wasted time. Time was a precious thing in this place. Often, people measured time in money, giving it some sort of value with the use pretty golden coins and sparkling rupees, but in this place there was little a pile of fortune the size of Death Mountain could do. She wasted time, and now she would return without her answers.

When the water tickled her nose, she found she could not move her head to breathe and her lungs refused to work. Summoning all her strength to shift her eyes to the Goddesses' way, she found they were disappearing like a mirage on desert sands. "You will find out where you stand soon." She managed to hear over the now incredibly loud buzz in her eardrums, and the water swallowed her whole, completely.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Post chapter notes:
> 
> \- That place I described, you'll recognize it from the game itself when Zelda teleports both her and Link to that place when Ganondorf's about to hit them  
> \- "You talk so much of the people." I do, yes, I recognize that, but it's important to talk about them. Before Zelda arrived Link couldn't care less about them, he did things for them because he needed to, it was his duty. He's bitter towards them for reasons yet to be stated, and while he is still confused if he cares for his wife or not, he doesn't want them to hate her, because she is the opposite of him. She does everything with the people in mind, but they still might not like her because she is from Hyrule, so he feels it is unfair. Before, he had hopes they would start liking him and hate her instead, but now he realized she doesn't deserve any of that
> 
> \- This should be enough for now


	12. xi: Second Contact

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Good evening!
> 
> Remember when I told you to keep an eye out for chapters named "_______ contact"? So here's the second; two more to go! 
> 
> We're getting close to chapter sixteen, which I reread everytime I open the file (and I just did that). It's the most important chapter, I believe, so it needs to be perfect. AND IT IS. HELP ME LORD EVERYONE WILL DIE WHEN I PUBLISH IT 
> 
> @Kinnix Wolf: I believe this is the chapter you were looking for. In here, I start answering one of your questions. 
> 
> I'm off to (finally) answer past reviews. I swear I read them the moment they get to me, but I open them on my email app on my phone and you know the drill right
> 
> Enjoy!! 
> 
> ye my tp zelink king

* * *

**Second Eclipse**

* * *

_The instant when the total or annular phase of an eclipse begins._

* * *

 Her body convulsed forward with the force of a cough, mouth gasping for air, lungs burning with the excess of carbon dioxide, and Zelda fell forward on her hands, chest heaving heavily. She was dry, she was safe, and she would probably never get accustomed to the feel of being encased by the golden water. The beginning and the end were always the same, she would lose control over her body, muscles ceasing all work in order to get her spirit in the same plane as of the Goddesses, if that was what truly happened.

Zelda took a few more breaths before straightening her back, finding that no more drops fell on the small pool of water before her. Gingerly, she dipped her right thumb in it and drew a Triforce on her forehead, then another one over her bosom, feeling indescribably light and refreshed. They were going to watch over her mother for another year, she was going to reunite with her loved ones and would soon form a concrete idea of the prince, her husband – and, she hoped, she would find out what he exactly thought of her. She knew he disliked her, but had no general idea of what ticked him off so. Was it her habits, her looks, or perhaps something in her personality? Zelda had always wanted to be on good terms with him, but could not say why she was so preoccupied with his views and opinions on her as of late.

She was back to pondering the mystery that Link was, now that she only had to focus on finding the right direction to return to the palace. It would be a long ride, full of little nibbles on her bottom lip and she would feel the muscles on her forehead hurting from frowning so much at the end of the day, for the words of the Golden Goddesses only encouraged her to think of it, to analyze every little aspect in their lives until she found what she wanted. They said soon, but when exactly was that? Maybe, if she thought of it for long and hard enough, the answer would get to her earlier than they foresaw.

The princess got to her feet and exited the cave, oddly finding the glow of the twilight blinding, shielding her eyes from the orangeish light as she made her way to her Shadow Kargarok, which appeared to be napping. Not wanting to bother it, she sat beside the bird and retrieved an apple from her mailbag, rubbing the fabric of her robe to clean the dark red skin before taking a bite of the fruit. She would only stick around for the time it would take her to eat three apples and take a sip of the water from the lake. It did seem edible, but she would not push her luck.

* * *

Zant’s bird made a sharp turn and flew back to the palace, the prince tensely perched on its back. He went around the perimeters of the castle, but the princess was nowhere to be found. He was left with few options: they either did not search well around their home, she was still on the move, she was lost, or she fell to her death in one of the endless cliffs of the realm. The options ranged from bad to impossible, but they could not ignore that the latter had just as many chances of happening as the first.

It was past suppertime. Midna and Link did try out all desserts, but for once, his sister’s secret weapon did not work on her enraged little brother; Zant guessed all things were bound to fail at some point. The problem was that Zelda’s absence that evening made the young prince even more on the edge, so much that he refused to eat until she appeared. Needless to say, he would be going to bed with an empty stomach and no wife to keep him company. Midna offered to look about the castle again, but if Zelda’s Shadow Kargarok was missing, it could only mean a thing: she was not in the palace.

Robyn had no idea where his master had gone. When questioned, he had stammered, but managed to say he did not know of her plans. Most of the time they spent together they were reading books or talking about trivial things; he did not ask the princess of her personal life the same way she asked of his, he respected her privacy, if she wanted to tell him anything he would let her do it on her own accord. The young Twili told them, however, that she read a lot of geography and history books, both Hyrulean and Twili ones, but upon inspecting her cabinet and drawers in the library, they found nothing. There was no side note on the pages, no piece of paper left behind with a clue. Zelda did an exceptional job in disappearing without leaving behind any traces.

None of them spared the painting of Lake Hylia a glance.

Now that he was back and just descending into the courtyard, they had only one thing left to do: tell her husband. They knew that, if Link had the power, he would demand that they be beheaded for keeping it from him, but telling him beforehand would do no one no good. He would get every living being from the palace and outside of it searching for her, would even offer money as if she was some sort of outlaw, would threaten anyone who spoke to her last and did not say where she was – but Queen Elliét talked to most of the servants and King Ardian questioned most of the guards and none of them saw not even a fallen strand of her hair that day. It was almost time that they retired for bed and who knew where she would be now, with who and doing what. Link was up in his chambers where his sister left him, sitting on his side of the bed and sulking at the empty space beside him. Well, soon he would be glaring fiery daggers at them.

The bird landed gracefully and the prince dismounted it, passing the reins to a servant nearby who hastily and quickly took the beast to the stables. Everyone was agitated and fearing Prince Link’s reaction over his wife’s vanishing; most hoped he would not go on another breaking-things spree, or worse, that he hurt another poor innocent servant who was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Zant took off his huge riding helmet, a weird piece that he brought from his old home that resembled a chameleon, his family’s mascot engraved in every blazon, and walked over to Midna, who stood by the door gently biting on her painted thumbnail.

“We have no choice left,” he said with a slight shrug and she dropped her hand with a heavy sigh. “It’s best that he knows now than later.”

“Yeah,” she agreed, eyes averted and distant, throat working to swallow thickly. Where could the Hylian princess be?

Together they walked to Link’s chambers, taking as much time as they could. From the look on their faces, the servants could tell what was happening and what was to come, so they evaded their way and returned to their rooms or entered the first doors they could find, as if taking cover. Link often said that Zant’s dark aura that manifested from time to time was frightening, but he had no idea how his was worse, he had no control over his emotions and once they got to him it was best to not stand in his way. He started showing signs of an untamable side of his coincidentally around the time he learned of the deal between his father and the Hyrulean King, and for the longest time they believed the contract was what triggered that darker part of him to arise, but later they found something else, something Midna was skeptical to believe. It was overwhelming to stand in the same room with him when it reached its highest peak and no one ever really interacted with him in one of these days, the only notable exceptions being his family. Most servants pitied his wife, though, for she would have to get used to this side of the prince and would live with it forever.

Midna could feel the hairs on the nape of her neck and arms rising as they got closer to his room. Every step they went up on the staircase was a step closer to a wrath that would be unleashed by themselves, and the princess closed her eyes and prayed to Fierce Deity that he try to control her brother for once. The castle did not have much furniture in sight but Link would go for them anyway the moment he stepped out of the room. They could try to keep him inside so he would wreck only one place of the palace, but keeping him in one room was as hard as trying to calm him down once it started. Her knuckles hesitantly rapped on the door thrice and the only sound that greeted their ears was loud, barely controlled deep breathing. Inhaling deeply to gather their wits, the couple allowed the door to slid open and entered the room.

The insides were utter chaos, with pillows thrown about and ripped bed sheets lying by the feet of the bed. Books were strewn open across the entire expanse of the room, pages either torn or wrinkled, a vase was broken by the closet door, the water under the shattered crystal pieces stained the fancy carpet that sported a tear or two around the edges. Instinctively, she knew where to look, at the shadowed corner across the window with now tattered black curtains. The last time something like this happened was a little over five years ago, but Midna could remember exactly how she found her brother and he was in the same exact position, as if her memories were happening all over again.

Crouched low where the walls met, Link had his palms firmly planted in the space between his bare feet, back curved so deeply that the vertebras of his spine could be easily spotted under the gray material of his tunic. His hair was in a state of disarray, pointing at all directions, while few bits of it clung to his face and neck due to the thin sheet of sweat that coated his skin. His eyes were feral, lips pulled over to show teeth, nostrils flared out, and stance ready to pounce at anyone who stepped closer. They could hear the low grumble originating from within his throat, the sound getting louder and louder as they advanced into the room.

He looked like a beast, but she refused to believe he was one.

Midna stood a little ahead of Zant and spoke slowly, calmly. “Easy, Link.” He sunk down a little lower, eyes on hers. “We came to talk... About her.”

In a flash, he shot from the corner, too fast for any of the other Twili to notice, and leaned over her, forcing the princess to take a step back to ensure there was some space between them. He breathed heavily, tight fists trembling by his sides, voice shaking. “Where is she?”

Link was far too short to be intimidating on a daily basis, but the Goddesses made up for his lack of height in another way, giving him a personality most would fear and feral blue eyes that were like raging seas. His sister swallowed one last time before parting her surprisingly dry lips. Her shoulders gave an involuntary slight shrug. “We don’t know. She disappeared.” He was silent, far too silent, but she used this opportunity to keep talking in hopes he would listen. “No one saw her. The Mirror is cold so she didn’t leave the realm, but the Shadow Kargarok isn’t-”

“ _What!?_ ”

The princess breathed shallowly. “Her bird isn’t here.”

“She ran away,” Zant offered from behind her and earned a dirty glare from his wife from over her shoulder.

“Or she can be lost out there somewhere.” She stressed the fifth word before whipping her attention back to her younger brother and lightly touching his arms. “But we will find her, she couldn’t be too far.”

Link jerked away from her hands and stalked towards the door, Midna was far too slow to tell Zant to hold him back, but the man would be too slow to even reach him. The youngest prince immediately broke into a run, fingers bent in a way that resembled claws and striked at the first pair of decorative armors he could find, the pieces tumbling and clanging as they fell to the floor. He kicked at them mercilessly, misjudging the strength he put in one kick that sent the helmet flying and left a dent in the wall where it collided with, but his vision was too red to even notice and so he kept on going down the hall to yank down a fine pair of curtains his mother got as a gift from an old family friend, a violent snarl coming from him.

Zant and Midna were out of the room three seconds after the first armor was hit, and they did their best to follow him down. "We could shoot him with tranquilizing darts."

She shoved him hard against the wall, and somehow her husband did not topple over. “It’s no time to joke, Zant!”

The taller of the three jumped over metal shin guards and kicked out of their way an arm piece. “I’m not joking!”

“Link is _not_ an animal!” Midna protested even as her brother let out a guttural roar from somewhere ahead of them, followed by a loud crash and a muffled yelp. A servant tumbled out a door and ran in the opposite direction they were heading. “You! Get the King and Queen! It’s an emergency!” The man nearly tripped on his own feet as he made way for the royal chambers on the floor above.

“But he has the spirit of the wolf in him!” He tried to reason, but his wife did not want to listen anything that had to do with _that._

She scoffed indignantly and ran around the pieces of another broken vase, something that only helped to prove his point. “That is all but a flawed, old legend!”

There were chips of wood lying by a mangled decorative table when they rounded a corner, and their feet crushed torn and bent little flowers as they went. “Then how do you explain this, Midna!?”

She shut her eyes tight and refused to think of it, refused to consider it a possibility, but at times she believed this was a curse the Goddesses put on her brother just for fun. Not only was he born that way, but he also had the possibility of be housing that spirit within him, the one spirit that made him act as a reckless animal from time to time. Her beloved little brother was the subject of a divine prank and there was nothing within her reach that she could do to help him rid of it.

“He’s going to the library,” she heard her husband say, so together they went for Zelda’s favorite room to stop the man she was married to.

Link had a tendency to go for their most valuable or rare, sometimes both, possessions. This value could be measured in money or it could have a high sentimental value to any of the members of the Royal Family. They were glad to find that the only books that suffered irreparable damage were simple fairy tale books or novels, things that could be easily replaced as opposed to the old manuscripts from families before them. He was fast as he pushed at a bookshelf and made it fall with a loud bang, and somewhere in her mind, Midna noticed he would not get close to Zelda’s things; her chair, desk and cabinet were intact and untouched, the same way she last left them before disappearing. This sparked some interest in her; if Link did not want to ruin his wife’s belongings then there was something definitely happening with him that was making him change his mind about her. Never once in her life her things were spared from his tirades, and now he was consciously, or not, choosing not to break them.

Because they belonged to Zelda.

Unbelievable.

King Ardian and Queen Elliét appeared by the library door a heartbeat later and both picked up on their daughter’s train of thought. The only one who did not seem to notice was Zant, who looked back and forth between his brother-in-law and the far wall of the library, something the other three did not quite seem to understand. It was only when Link was done wrecking the pile of Midna’s erotic books, something he had been longing to do for a while, that he moved across the area and instantly latched his hands on the edge of the only painting present in the room. His mother gasped, hands coming up to her lips, and Zant went forward to stop him, evading his wife’s fingers that tried to grab his robes.

“Your Majesty!”

He would not let him break that painting. It was far more important to Zelda than it was to Elliét and he was sure the queen knew that, he was sure she knew that the woman who painted and signed it was Zelda’s mother. It was the only token left of her presence in the palace that the Hylian princess found by accident, it was her only connection with the one who loved her unconditionally; it was the only thing she could look at and feel back in Hyrule again. It was no wonder she spent so much time in the library. But Link had already yanked it away from the wall with nails and all, and was holding it above his head whilst moving closer to the window. He would toss it outside and then it would be ruined.

Zant reached and grabbed another edge of the frame, for once glad that his arms were abnormally longer than normal, and narrowed his eyes at the young prince when he snarled and turned his head around to look at him. He gave one hard tug and then –

“She is back! Princess Zelda is back!”

Then Link released the painting as if it was hot iron and bolted out the library, pushing the servant out of the way and leaving everyone behind to grasp what just happened before following him to the courtyard.

* * *

The ride back to the palace passed faster than when she left for the lake and Zelda could feel her back muscles aching from riding for so long. She felt abnormally spent and blamed it on the bird; riding it was far more difficult than riding horses, which explained why every part of her body seemed so stiff and hurt, but the angular dark building was already in sight and soon all the pain would go away.

Her Shadow Kargarok, which she had yet to name, glided smoothly under the darkening orange and pink clouds, a sign that a storm was coming, and entered the castle limits. From above, she could see that the Palace of Twilight was made up of three buildings, each placed on different lands separated by cliffs, and all of the time she was in the one in the middle, which seemed to be the main and most important one. Zelda wondered why they needed the other two since no one ever seemed to go there, yet she could see there were guards standing outside the doors. She made a mental note to ask Midna or Zant; they would be the ones more willing to tell her, if they were allowed to say what was in there in the first place.

She barely had time to enter the courtyard and dismount her bird for the Royal Family appeared running through the back door, Link in the front; immediately, she knew she had been caught. The creature’s paws only slightly grazed the grass when her husband was already standing beside them, touching her all over and trying to get her to come down from the Kargarok. With her mind spinning, the princess slid off its back ungracefully and let Link touch her arms, waist and neck in search for injuries or abuse marks, and she silently took in his wild expression, his tousled hair and ragged breathing. Accidentally, she glanced over his shoulder and caught Midna’s worried gaze, and shamefully she averted her blue eyes.

They were all surrounding them, not too close but suffocating her the same, and Link had yet to stop his atypical gesture of fussing. Managing to catch his wrist in a loose hold, the Hylian slid her hands up until it was wrapped around his own. “I am fine.” She declared, and Link’s wide eyes blinked once before instantly shifting to a scowl.

“Where have you been!?” He all but screeched as he yanked his arm away. She let him have his way, though it pained her somewhat to see him pulling away from her touch.

“Link!” His father chided sternly and his son turned away with shaking shoulders. “Manners!”

Elliét gently touched her on the shoulder. “We will have a meal prepared for you, dear. Let us rest, you can tell us what happened in the morn.”

Zelda nodded numbly and turned to Zant when he spoke. “Sorry for the room,” it sounded informal to her ears, something she had a suspicion that they did quite often among themselves, “We’ll get to it tomorrow.” Frowning in confusion, she missed the disapproving glare shot his way by his wife, and the princess let herself be led to her chambers with everyone in tow.

The halls were a mess with destruction visible after every ten steps they took and she was left to wonder what had transpired in her absence. Link, now down from his wrath but not exactly in peace, seemed to notice for the first time the damage he caused to the palace, but showed no signs of remorse or guilt – if anything, he seemed almost refreshed. It was nice to release bottled up emotions at times. They parted ways when it was convenient, and the interracial couple was left to walk in a tense silence to their shared bedroom, which, she noted the moment the door slid open, was in a critical state of disorder.  

Link stepped over imperfect books on his way to his side of the bed and proceeded to take off his tunic with no hesitation before letting his weight fall heavily on the mattress, and Zelda stood in place looking at nothing as his heated stare fell upon her. “Well?” He inquired in a restrained tone; never in her life would she imagine he would get this mad at her – and for not interacting with him for an entire day! “Where were you?”

She caught her tongue between her teeth, the mailbag suddenly too heavy on her shoulder. She owed him, above everyone else, an explanation. If Queen Elliét’s satin robe told her anything, it was that she had misjudged the time it would take her to get to the lake, and that these birds were in no way faster than horses like Zelda had believed. In addition, something told the princess that Link had something to do with all the ruined things she spotted in her way from the courtyard, and whatever it was that hit him had to do with her momentary disappearance – in short, it was her fault. An explanation was the only thing she could give them. And maybe some rupees to pay for the repairs, but even after five months in the realm she did not know what currency they had. “I needed to find a lake.”

One of his eyebrows lifted in an arch. “What for?”

Zelda swallowed, “To pray.”

“Pray?” He asked suddenly, incredulously, voicing the thoughts that just ran through his mind. “You disappeared so you could pray?”

Her husband went silent for a moment, hand over his mouth. Pray. She went away to pray, in a lake. Could she not have done it somewhere else in the palace? A bathtub would be a great replacement for it; she could fill it with water and pretend to be wherever she ‘needed’ to be. Distantly, he recalled a foggy memory of Zant trying to force a painting out of his grasp – a painting of a lake he had never seen – and somehow he knew that was where she needed to be. Something also told him his dear brother-in-law knew something he was not aware of. Darkly, Link narrowed his eyes; Zant had some explaining to do.

She said nothing, letting him rage on. The Goddesses said she would find where she stood, and while she was musing over what Link thought of her, now she knew exactly what it was. It was too obvious not to see, the princess would have to be blind to miss it. It was there, in front of her, in the way he glared, in the way he spoke. He did not like her.

“Was it necessary? _Really_ necessary?” The prince scoffed, throwing his hands up. “Here we were thinking you were kidnapped, or that you died, but in reality, you ran away just so you could pray?”

No, perhaps ‘dislike’ was too much of a weak word to describe it. Her mother used to say hate was a strong word, but now it seemed to describe his feelings perfectly.

“Gods, goddesses, deities – they don’t exist!”

Zelda felt breathless, face contorting in something she could not quite describe, and in haste she fled to the adjoining bathroom seeking refuge. The realization that he hated her was too much to bear. Suddenly, her riding gown was too tight around her chest, constricting her muscles and making it hard for air to fill her lungs. She uselessly clawed at the small round collar, as if it could somehow ease the pain she felt and force oxygen in her body, but soon the need to support herself was far greater than the need for air, so her sweaty hands gripped the edges of the sink counter. He hated her, he hated her. Her eyes shut tight and it took her knees much effort not to buckle under her weight.

Dear Goddesses, he hated her, and it hurt too much now that she was aware of it.

Link, on his part, immediately halted on his tirade when her expression changed from neutral to pained, and his mouth was left hanging when she quickly escaped to the other room. Rage slowly dissipating like winter fog on the first days of spring, the emotion gave space to something he had not felt in some time – guilt. It was only after he spoke that he remembered a passage of the book, only a couple of lines, which read that she was extremely religious for someone her age and that at a certain time every year she needed to get away to pray. Now he believed this was the time they mentioned, and now he saw he should have thought twice instead of letting his emotions get the best of him. Whatever her reasons were for leaving, he should not have gotten angry. It was part of her, it was possibly something that had to do with her religion, and even though he in no way believed in such things like his parents and sibling, Link was in no place to lash at her for it. Zelda could not help it and he could have refrained from hurting her if he had more than half a brain working correctly.

Cursing under his breath, the prince suddenly felt out of place on the bed. Should he go check on her? Should he pretend nothing happened and go to sleep? He had just done what he was hoping to avoid and likely ruined any chances they had of ever understanding each other in the future; but things would work out to her, she would be loved by all, even if it meant that he make her hate him to achieve it.

Outside, rain fell, strong and unforgiving as it hit the closed windows of their chambers, drowning out any sounds that came from the bathroom.

With a heavy sigh, Link leaned back on the headboard and did what he did worst – he waited.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Post chapter notes:
> 
> \- "what the hell is going on" you ask, yet again, because nothing here makes sense and I refuse to explain. When nothing makes sense, just trust the flow
> 
> \- BUT ARE WE SEEING SOME SORT OF CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT HERE? hooo boy, is Link finally starting to act like the gentleman he should be?
> 
> \- Am I going to make them get closer only to later on make them argue again? hmmmmm HMMMM /rubs chin


	13. xii: Partial Eclipse

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everybodaaaaayyyy
> 
> I spent the last three weeks studying for tests and finishing some projects, so I apologize for not updating this when I should have. On the bright side, I finished two important chapters, changed a few things, changed a major thing, and now I'm good to keep going. And also, I realized this story can be divided into three major arcs: the Arrival Arc, from Saros to Center of Mass; the Twilight Arc, from First Contact to Totality; and the Hyrule Arc, of course, from Eclipse Obscuration to Antumbra. I literally thought of these names so they're pretty dumb haha
> 
> We are halfway through the Twilight Arc; I'm about to start its last chapter!
> 
> Enjoy!
> 
> sings u a song to make up for it

* * *

**xii: Partial Eclipse**

* * *

A little more than a month passed since her trip to the lake and the rain had yet to stop for more than only a few hours, but the princess learned it was a common thing to happen when summer slowly turned into autumn on this side of the mirror. In the morning after, she rose from bed and went to the dining hall to sort things out, not really surprised to see everyone there, including her husband, who had awoken earlier than she had for once. He did not look her in the eye or even glance her way as she stood by the end of the table and explained, said she left for it was a habit she developed when she was but a child and refused to give this up. His family understood, seeing the importance of it for her, but Link could not shake the feeling that Zant knew more than he let on. Zelda joined them for breakfast and ate less than usual before departing quickly, weaving her way through the palace back to her room where she confined herself for days on end.

She hardly left their chambers anymore, only to eat her meals and once in the afternoon to greet and speak with Robyn, whom she missed dearly, but could not bring herself to spend too much time with him. For some reason, it seemed even he was hesitant to meet her and it only added to the pain she felt tugging at her heartstrings. The princess blamed it on herself that he was acting that way, wondering if he was upset that she planned a trip and did not let him know of it, but she let him be; whatever it was, when he mustered enough courage he would come talk to her, she knew, and then they would fix this. Either way she always found herself passing by the now repaired library to spy on him whilst he read one of the Hyrulean books she gave him, and then went along on her way before he could notice her standing there.

Her days mostly consisted on sitting around or lying on her bed, musing, thinking, meditating. Zelda tugged on her skirts when she sat cross-legged on the bed, back erect, but relaxed, and let her mind wander freely, seeking answers, but only finding more questions. Regardless of all the things that came her way in her mind, she pushed through them and focused on her goal, searched every corner of her body, from the tip of her fingers to the center of her core for the words she needed to hear. The Goddesses said she would soon find it out, but the princess guessed she could push it to the breaking point and get to the end faster than they planned; it would not matter to her to be well spent and far too exhausted when the day ended for them in this world embed in twilight.

The time she spent closed off inside her head was over and in the past, though, and now her hours ticked away marked by the mute sound of her chewing on her thumbnail and staring sightlessly at the end of the bed, contemplating the things she found. While she had no past experience to compare her feelings then to this current situation, Zelda could almost hear the Golden Goddesses whispering, singing in her ear, congratulating her for doing well and finding out the truth. Whether if it was a work of her mind or if it was indeed happening she could not tell, but she relied on this new discovery and studied it from all possible sides.

It hit her stronger than thousands of warhorses running over her body, wearing her down until her lungs stopped working and her bones ached. Zelda was quite certain it was induced. Really, Link had given her no reasons for this to happen, yet she found that she somehow liked him just as much as she liked Robyn, and possibly loved him differently than the way she loved her fellow Zora friends. Wondering too frequently why he was showing so much concern only prompted her to develop feelings for him. Were they unwanted? The princess could not answer that. Maybe a long night of sleep and some rest would help her clear her mind and ponder over this in the morning without feeling her head throbbing. Yes, it was all she needed at the moment.

She touched the light shadows under her eyes before lowering her back to the soft mattress and setting the blankets comfortably around herself. It seemed it never got cold in the Twilight Realm, but she could not bring herself to try to sleep uncovered; she felt unprotected even if her husband who was so good in wielding a sword was sleeping right beside her.

Concentrating on the muffled sound of running water coming from the bathroom, the princess felt her body being pulled down by the weight of her recent lack of sleep, and before long she was lost in slumber, just a fraction of a second ahead of another question that would leave her awaken all night.

* * *

Warm water splashed on his face that scrunched up when droplets dripped from his chin in an infuriating slow _drip drip drip_ and the prince quickly unwrapped the towel from around his hips to wipe his skin. He stared at his reflection then focused his gaze on the pinch of his eyebrows, regretting that he knew just why he felt so angry these past weeks.

He had been inconsiderate and he admitted it aloud, tone filled with hidden guilt. It was something to snap at his sister who had a temper as fiery as the hair she inherited from their grandfather and it was another to argue with his mother who was just so used to his outbursts about religion and all things he did not like to even listen to him anymore, but it was another story when it came to getting mad _and_ screaming at his wife. Zelda, who he had given only two months to show her true colors, had not showed them until the present day and nearly half a year had rolled by. The quiet, wise, ever perceptive Zelda should never be on the other end receiving negative vibes from the one bound to her. Zelda, the Hylian princess with eyes of a shade he had never seen in nature, would have been treated with respect since the first day had she married any other noble, even Twili ones. For once, he agreed with his sister, for once he saw himself acting like a petulant child when looking back.

It did not help him that in the day she disappeared and returned, after spending a little more than two hours alone in the bathroom, he found her with her cheek resting on the cold surface of the bathtub like a drunken person who mistook it for the toilet. With his heart racing, he turned her over gently and let her rest limply against his chest as he, fearing the worst, reached for her wrist and felt himself calm at the feel of her drumming pulse. Relieved that she was only asleep, he lifted her in his arms with care and threaded back to the bed, trying to remove her riding boots without disturbing her once she was settled comfortably on the warm spot.

She rode for hours and got home to a husband who treated her less than kindly. He who had always been so prideful to compensate for his reality had never felt so much self-loathing as he felt now. The moment his wife fled to the bathroom, the weight of his regret hit every inch of his body, as if the best of their best elite soldiers were hitting him with the blunt side of their spears over and over until it tore his skin and it bled. Link could only sit on his side of the bed and stare at her lost in the sanctity of sleep and decide that he would protect her from himself and all things that could hurt or upset her. It was best that she lived on and he did not; he would die to ensure she would survive to keep leading her land to prosperity.

Link hang the towel in favor of putting on his nightclothes while thinking of past events. Her disappearance aside, he found the time to talk to Robyn first thing in the following morning after her little escapade. The prince put all the cards on the table, explained to the younger Twili how important Zelda was to their future and how her relationship with them could only serve to make the people see her through bad lenses. Robyn was visibly sad at the idea of having to put some distance between them, and while Link felt bad for pushing away the kid’s first real friend, one had to make sacrifices when needed and that Robyn understood perfectly. Being married to Prince Link only made the populace skeptical to accept her; after all, he had been blessed with two curses, one of which he and Robyn had in common.

It was no secret to him that his wife took detours to pass by the library out of the hours they were designed to meet. When they could talk, she would advise him in one thing or another, correct the way he wrote or pronounced a word, then ask him of his day before going her way and doing as told. Link had a feeling she knew he was behind it, but ever since that day she did not speak to him and he did not try to strike up a conversation either. He wanted so much to comment on how she should sleep more for he knew she stayed awake for most of the night, how the shadows under her exquisite eyes made her seem frailer than she actually was, but he would not torture her more than he already had. She needed her peace outside of her scarce sleep and he would not ruin her days no more.

This need to protect her was something he had not expected at all and he was at a loss of what to do – Link had not thought he would need to protect her from himself. The populace generally disliked Hyruleans the same way they disliked him, too strongly for words, and they hardly could maintain a straight face when he was in their line of sight. The harsh reality of his world would affect her. Before, he was glad that the ill feeling towards the inhabitants of Hyrule was almost palpable, he felt pride at the thought of seeing his people hating the race of his wife he so despised and he might have even thought that her arrival would make them accept him. But he had forgotten she was a regular person, like he was even though heavy crowns were perched brilliantly on their heads, with feelings and principles and thoughts of her own. Link had forgotten she was breakable; he could not see clearly past his rage, he had been selfish and did not take into account the things she gave up and left behind to cross the mirror and come live with his family, only because the sunlight of her world would hurt him.

Princess Zelda moved to his own world instead of dragging him to the other side, because she was sensible enough to put his needs before her own.

In times like this, when he remembered the sad look the young Zora prince gave her and the words his mother said to Link, he was reminded that she would be the one taking the lead when they rose to the throne. Knowing since a young age that Midna and her offspring would be the ones taking their father’s place and ruling the Twili race, the prince never bothered to learn how to truly rule a kingdom. He had always imagined he would marry a noble girl, live in the palace and only assume control when his sister was away and left him to watch over the people, just to maintain order. Even after his father’s secret surfaced, he did not put effort into trying to be a better ruler; he had always been convinced he would be able to scare the girl away somehow, but Zelda here proved to be a challenge and now he wanted to send her back so she would not suffer in his land.

Link exited the bathroom and found his wife lying a bit too close to the middle of the bed, bordering the invisible line they traced that separated their halves. He did not push her away as he slipped under the covers, relieved that she was finally able to get the rest she so much needed. The celebrations were only a mere month away and they were a distraction the both of them certainly needed. The drinks would relax him and the food would keep him entertained; Link just hoped his dear wife would stay away from the concoctions that contained lactose.

* * *

Despite the days spent without proper sleep, her internal clock was still tuned and working, waking her up at the hour the sun broke through the horizon back in her kingdom. Dark eyelashes fluttered and her body stirred inconspicuously before her eyelids slid open and she stared right ahead. With her vision still hazy and mind foggy from sleep, Zelda allowed her eyes to close again and recoiled a hand to touch her face, leaving the other resting limply on the silky clean sheets. When her eyes opened again and her palm fell to the mattress, the princess nearly choked on the deep breath she was taking at the sight of sharp blue eyes staring at her, wide and bloodshot from lack of sleep.

Her mind registered the situation before she could even blink in surprise. She had fallen asleep too close to the middle of the bed and without a doubt her husband was not able to sleep that night. Link tossed and turned a lot during his sleep, at times he mumbled and talked, at others he snored so loudly she was left to wonder how she could ignore it and rest her mind and body. Due to her closeness, he probably had to restrain himself from touching her and the result was that he was the one who stayed awake throughout the night. Zelda inhaled as deeply as she could and parted her lips to speak, but something was off with the Twili before her. At least one minute since she realized he was there had passed and he had not blinked yet. She waited a while more, just a couple of breaths, but he remained unmoving and unblinking. Coming to the conclusion that he somehow fell asleep with his eyes open, the princess reached across the space between them to close his eyelids, fingers slowly uncurling and reaching out.

Once she was close enough, he jerked away. Zelda quickly lowered her hand and inhaled sharply, but he cut her off with a shake of his head. “It is fine,” he said in a rough, deep voice still laced with weariness. She bit her bottom lip, glancing away from the prince whilst he rubbed his eyes. Maybe he was only spacing out, cursing her to the depths of the Dark Realm as she occupied most of the bed.

“Slept well?” His tone would have passed for casual were it not tinged with hesitation and had his voice not failed by the end of his sentence. Link cleared his throat, trying to pass it as a side effect for not speaking throughout the night, and Zelda refrained from smiling as he tried to hide his embarrassment.

She let her lips curl by the corners anyway and assented once. “Like never before,” she mused, eyes boring into his and holding his gaze. Zelda could hear his breathing; it was deep and slow, shoulders and ribcage moving in synchrony, but to him he felt like he had ran up and down a mountain twice. Link felt short of breath and completely lost. Never had his wife glanced his way the way she was doing now and immediately he thought of Robyn, who had seen this side of her many times before, and he wondered if the kid felt the same way. Zelda looked completely different when she was like this, smiling and with her long hair slightly tousled, eyes still clouded with sleep and slightly darker skin underneath them. It made her seem more human than ethereal, more reachable under the light that seeped into the room, and her crinkled eyes were of a purer blue when she smiled like this, he noticed. It was captivating.

It was no good.

Prince Link cleared his throat one more time as he pushed himself up to his elbow and twisted around to get out of bed. “You should go back to sleep.” Silk shifted as she moved to lie on her back and his wife hummed in agreement – or contentment. “You still have shadows under your eyes.” He did not wait for an answer and made his way to his bathroom to wash his face and clean his teeth, hoping the actions would drive his tiredness away. She was fast asleep when he went into the closet to change, curled around herself like a cat with the light sheets up to her nose and dark eyelashes resting over her cheekbones. The sight made him want to join her, but instead he left their chambers.

Breakfast passed in a blur. Link was quite certain his sister or mother commented on his awful appearance and the cups of coffee he drowned did little to aid him. His father spoke of something and he tried to muster the necessary strength to hear him or to even lift his gaze off the plate to try to stare at his brother-in-law. Maybe if he stared for long and hard enough, Zant would open that weird mouth of his and spill out what he knew. He could not taste what he was eating and before long Ardian excused his son from the table, and Link hastily went on his way towards his office, ready to get away.

He sat on his comfortable cushioned chair to work, but reclined against it and closed his eyes for a moment to relax. A servant later was sent to call him down, hours later, for supper, for he did not show up on his own. Link cursed loudly when he realized he had fallen asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Post chapter notes:
> 
> \- There are none
> 
> \- wow, incredible


	14. xiii: Annularity

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey y'all!
> 
> I don't think I can apologize enough for this. It should've been updated last Friday, but things happened - thankfully, good things. I'm here posting this before I do anything else, so I won't lose focus. 
> 
> Seeing as I'm on winter break, I'll try to post a chapter every week, so this week you'll actually have two chapters to read! I'm halfway through chapter nineteen, so I better speed things up.
> 
> Thank you for all reviews/comments! I appreciate each and every one of them! 
> 
> Enjoy!
> 
> /throws self at your feet/ please forgive me for being trash

* * *

**Annularity**

* * *

_The maximum phase of an annular eclipse during which the Moon's entire disk is seen silhouetted against the Sun. Annularity is the period between second and third contact during an annular eclipse. It can last from a fraction of a second to a maximum of 12 minutes 29 seconds._

* * *

 

Ever since she crossed the mirror, Zelda wore her hair loose with only the exception of her long fringe and front locks, which she pinned back and away from her face with a jewel studded clip that Gor Coro gave her on her eleventh birthday. It fell free behind her back, natural loose waves twisting the ends she so loved to play with when reading a book. Sometimes she tied it completely and tried to replicate an up-do from memory, leaving bobby pins scattered on her vanity and ending up with her hair highly disheveled. She had been unfortunate to have her husband walk in once while trying an intricate bun, but at the same time, she had been lucky for a pin was tangled in her locks and she could not take it off without breaking her fine hairs. Link removed it with ease and placed it with the others before going for a shower, and the princess tried to fix the mess she had made.

With the festivals starting that night, she could relive how it was like to be dolled up by maids and experts. Her hair was tied in an elegant waterfall braid and two Twili spent a great deal of time twirling the tresses while another painted her nails black. Zelda was never one for dark or bright colors, earthy and rosy tones were preferable, and rarely would she try out shades of red.  Going from uncoated nails to ones tinted in black in a matter of minutes was messing with her insides, but that was by far the last of her concerns.

Makeup came next, dark eyeliner and mascara were prioritized with a faded out brown on her eyelids as to not leave them bare. Her eyes were outlined thickly, the wings drawn on the outer corners were kept small and discrete upon her request, and even the inner corners had been traced with kohl. They filled her eyebrows, applied bronze blush on her cheeks, and painted her lips dark crimson despite her telling a simple nude would suffice. Zelda stared at her reflection, hands incessantly playing with the strip of her satin robe in mild anxiety as she studied their handiwork and concluded that it was simply too much. The maids went away to fetch her outfit, by far the worst part.

Choosing a dress for the festivities was like choosing one for her wedding: exhausting and irritating. She was well aware that if she _ordered_ them to, they would make her a dress much similar to the ones she wore back in her kingdom, but showing up in the ballroom with an outfit that was not part of their culture would only lead to misunderstandings. It was not that she disliked the colors and the models, but the things she was used to were much different from this. Midna showed Zelda her wedding dress and saw in the Hylian’s eyes her surprise at the sight of it, but it was okay, she, too, was surprised in seeing Zelda dressed in white when she married. Though the colors now were not what put her on the edge – it was the cut of it, its design was too... Inappropriate for a princess that was said to have an icy heart. Her only comfort was that everyone else would be dressed similarly.

The maids allowed her to have some privacy and exited her dressing chamber to let the princess change outfits. Zelda untied her satin robe and hang it on a rack before taking a deep breath and discarding her gown as well. Standing half-naked before the items that were brought in, she unzipped the clothes bag and tossed it carelessly to the side to relieve some tension, then gingerly removed the pieces from the hanger and moved closer to the mirror.

Breathing in deeply, the first piece she put on was the top. It had a striking resemblance to a bra – a traditional Twili piece, like a smaller corset of sorts, which supported the breasts but did not squeeze her torso – though she had her suspicions that it was indeed one. The material was black and studded with black crystals on the straps, swirly patterns were sewn in golden by the cleavage line and met in the middle, held together by a round medal forged especially for her, given the Hyrule Crest was imprinted on the front; other medals were sewed all around the top, resting over her ribs. After adjusting it, she slipped on the skirt; it was long and reached her ankles, with a slit that started at the top of her right thigh, but closer to the side than to the front. It provided more coverage than Midna’s, which she was thankful for. A light blue sash was tied around her hips just for decoration, the longer end falling over her fully cover covered thigh and reaching as far as the skirt would go. As a final touch, Zelda arranged the scarf lent by Elliét over her right shoulder and clipped it together by the left hip with a golden brooch. The material was almost see through, but it was enough to make her feel more covered and protected.

She looked down at her feet and wiggled her toes – she was going barefoot.

Zelda headed for the nearest chair to rest, propping her chin on her open palm and gazing out the rectangular window. Midna would soon arrive and together they would go to the ballroom, and the festivities would drag out for most of the night and bore her to death.

* * *

Link was waiting for his wife with Zant as company, standing outside the open doors of the room, but placed to its side as to remain out of view of the guests. Dressed in an outfit similar to his wedding one – actually, it was that very same – he let his brother-in-law do most of the talking to fill in the silence while he, behind his back, twisted his fingers under the overly long sleeves of his heavy robe. Zelda had showed herself to part of the populace and interacted with some of his relatives, but now she would be surrounded by nobles ready to poke at her from all sides with flaming knives, trying to find a weakness or pushing her so until she spilled something they could use against her, giving the new princess the same treatment they gave him. Link was used to this and knew all strategies to avoid or call them out before they even got the chance to draw out their weapons: their sharp tongues.

What they did to him, they did not do to his sister. Midna had always been favored and loved, amongst the nobles she was the one with more popularity, but she was not oblivious to what her brother went through in their hands and did not turn a blind eye when they started attacking. Though, when she intervened, her words did not have effect on them for much long. In all else, these nobles would follow her blindly, but when it came to the little pest, her cursed brother, they paid her no heed. Link was thankful that she sided with him, but often times told her not to speak of it lest they turn against her too.

Despite the different ways they were treated by the court and the townspeople, the prince did not envy his sister for being normal, like he could not hate his father for marrying him off to a stranger when he was but one year old. Even if he were normal and one or two feet taller, Midna would still be the one with the burden to carry a kingdom on her shoulders when the time came. The way they were now, he had his own problems to deal with just as she had. They were even like this. And besides, his parents and sister had given him all the love necessary. Then, Zelda came along accepted him from the beginning the way he was, flawed and cursed and with blue eyes and thin, long ears, never judging him for his actions. She accepted Robyn as well, who was placed just as low as he was, but on a step higher.

It was enough, he needed nothing else.

“Seems like they are ready.”

Link, for all his bottled up anger and short stature, had a sense of hearing Zant wished he could possess. Not only did the younger man cut him off on the best part of his story, the girls had yet to be five hallways away and on the upper floor, they needed not be announced yet. Nevertheless, his brother-in-law then moved away from the door after peeking inside, walking towards one of the ends of the hallway and prompting him to follow, only then did the duke notice the fingers that insistently twisted and tangled together behind Link’s back. Zant smiled knowingly and chose to let Link enjoy his last moments of peace.

Minutes later and the girls rounded the corner, almost running into them in the process. Not many changes were made in Midna’s outfit; her skirt was the same except it was more fluid than her clean cut ones, the robe was replaced by one of the same model but made with a lighter, shimmering fabric, and her fiery hair was curled and tied in a high ponytail. Zelda, on the other hand, seemed to want to shrink to the ground and hide in embarrassment, the dark color of her clothes creating contrast on her fair skin. She kept her arms around her stomach, needing to cover everything that was on sight. Zant greeted and complimented them, then was quickly led away by Midna, who wanted to leave them alone for a moment before they joined the pack of wolves waiting for them, but more specifically for their new prey.

Both prince and princess avoided eye contact until Link heard his father saying his name back in the ballroom. “Nice outfit,” he said after clearing his throat, eyes on the wall.

Zelda’s already pink cheeks burned hotly. “Thank you.” She lifted her gaze off the ground and swept it in his direction, and just then, he did the same. Suddenly, he seemed almost angry.

“Listen.” She straightened her back and squared her shoulders, expecting to hear some reprimand or a command of sorts. Link saw through her actions and supposed his harsh tone helped her come to that conclusion, and immediately, he softened his voice. “These people are dangerous. Stay near me and you should be fine.” He waited for no answer and offered his arm for her to take. Zelda was slow to loop her arm through his, but did so eventually, head filled to the brim with questions.

Nobles turned and shushed when the couple walked past the threshold. The princess, torn between greeting them as they passed or simply walking without sparing them a glance like her husband, settled for trying to find familiar faces that attended to their wedding and smiled politely from across the room. It did not take long for murmurs to arise behind their backs, reaching their ears in muffled sounds as the result of speaking behind their hands. Fortunately for Zelda, she could not make out what was said; for Link, however, gritting his teeth was not enough to put out some of the surge of anger that suddenly bloomed in his chest. Out of reflex, he covered her hand that rested on his wrist with his, squeezing it firmly whilst picking up his pace, maintaining his gaze forward even as his wife turned her head to look at him in confusion.

Her heart hammered in her chest, beating in her ribcage so fast it hurt. Try as she might, the princess could not pull her gaze away from him. Rarely, they touched each other in some way, and even rarer was when there was skin to skin contact. His warmth was contagious, twisting her insides into knots and sending electricity coursing through her limbs, all the way from her toes to the top of her head. His skin was rougher than hers, fingers callused from writing so much these past days, from tending to Epona and from escaping to the courtyard train and workout. Many times, from the windows of the library, she spotted him donning an older tunic and jogging, sparring with other knights in hand to hand combat, or wielding a sword, one of the lost arts of the Twilight Realm.

Up the stairs they went, on the same level they once stood after their wedding ceremony, where a table was made for six. With King Ardian and Queen Elliét in the middle and their daughter and her husband to their right, Link pulled the chair at the end for his wife to sit and took the last one to his father’s left. His mother leaned forward to look at the Hylian and smiled brightly at her, complimenting her looks. Aware once more of her outfit of choice, Zelda could only manage a faltering smile as she fumbled with the scarf to try to cover more of herself.

“Relax,” her husband said smoothly without looking up from the silverware he was rearranging around his empty plates. “There is nothing wrong with it.”

She shifted, trying to shake off her discomfort and the heavy stares coming from the people below. “I am not used to wearing something like this; that is all.”

A servant came and filled their glasses, one with water and one with wine for each, as the prince chuckled and reached for his newly served drink. “It is like wearing a bathing suit, is it not?” He sipped his drink – sauvignon blanc; the first dishes to come were salads – then glanced at her when she remained silent. “What? Have you not worn two-pieces before?”

Zelda bit the inside of her cheek lightly, thinking back of the unflattering one-piece that reached just under her knees. It was like wearing a shorter camisole with pants underneath, it was not exactly an arousing sight. “No,” she replied simply and he made a unique face of disbelief. The differences between Hyruleans and Twili were more than simply appearances, manners of dressing up and wedding traditions. To her it was scandalous to walk around with only a top and a skirt; to him it was unbelievable that she never put on a revealing swimming suit, and this was only the start.

The most Link would get to see in Hyrule, if he was lucky enough, was a girl’s bare ankles when she hoisted her skirts up to step over a pool of mud.

The idea of it happening did not sit well on her stomach.

“Well,” he leaned back on his chair, balancing it only on the back legs. “That is in order. We will take you to a lake.”

She made a face, clearly not pleased with where the conversation was going. Not wanting to even think about wearing something this revealing for more than necessary, Zelda took control of the reins and steered the focal point of their talk elsewhere. “Are we not going to greet them?”

“Them?” He snorted, which made his mother whip her head around and narrow her red eyes at him. Link rolled his blue ones in response and sat properly like a prince would, in her words. “No, they can appreciate you from afar. There is no need to throw you in there to be torn to pieces.”

The princess pressed her lips together for a moment. “That would be impolite.”

“Zelda.” Her heart jerked and she felt her rapid pulse in the base of her throat. It was the first time he called her by name or even said it aloud. “I will not lie to you. They do not like you.” Her forehead barely frowned, and he dared think she felt slightly hurt, but it was true. “To them, they would rather have our army face yours in the battlefield than have one of us marry one of your kind. They do not hate _you_ , but they hate your people, so consequently...”

The Hylian’s frown only deepened and her eyes were downcast to her lap. She had thought the people would not like her, but it turned out the nobles were the problem. Actually, all of them were; somewhere, someone was bound not to like her regardless of their status and wealth, it could not be helped and in Hyrule the same would happen to him. What even was the point of their marriage? It would only hurt one, if not both, of them. It was only postponing the war that would come, it was only serving to make her heart hurt. Married to a man she grew to like, but would never reciprocate her feelings, that was the way she would have to live.

“Do not worry about them, though.” Link said as if sensing the path her thoughts were taking her. “Worry about gaining popularity among the populace. There are many like me and Robyn out there waiting to be accepted. We are the minority, but it is a start.” She nodded simply, taking his advice and archiving it, but not quite understanding what he meant. She would have to question someone soon, most likely her young Twili friend.

When King Ardian and Queen Elliét rose to their feet, the guests made their ways to their respective seats, some doing a good job in masking their bored expressions as the rulers spoke, others not so much. Their court was just as bad as hers was, Zelda mused to herself. Nobles always proved to be a pain and thought that, for the fact that they were a little better than the commoners, they were free to sneer in her face and coat their words in layers of sarcasm. Many times some nobles tried to diminish her being, but she beat them in their game always, with the help of the wisdom given to her by the Goddesses.

After the grand opening speech was done, servants walked about the room serving the dishes, salads as Link had predicted. Arranged prettily on the white plates, they consisted of mixed greens with almond nuts and strawberries, and a small side dish with a creamy bittersweet yoghurt dressing. Zelda’s dressing was green, which caught their curiosity. Upon dipping the tip of the fork into it and tasting it around on her tongue, she smiled and said. “Avocado.”

He assented once, mouth falling open in recognition. “Mother said she would make sure that you did not ingest any lactose by accident anymore.”

“Do you want some?” She inquired, holding out the silver ladle spoon and waiting for him to take it. Link hesitated, but never in his life they had made him avocado dressing and he was always in when it came to different foods, so he accepted her offer with a slight slump on his shoulders. As he drizzled one scoop on his plate over the leaves, she reaffirmed, “I do not mind it.”

Link waited until she helped herself and brought his glass of sauvignon blanc close to hers when she was about to take her first sip. Zelda touched her wine glass to his with a smile, one that seemed slightly bigger than her usual ones, and together they tasted the liquid and started their meal, forgetting the stares coming from below.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Post chapter notes:
> 
> \- I posted a simple drawing of Zelda's outfit on my tumblr (chinarai.tumblr.com) the link should be in my profile!  
> \- I am no wine expert lmao I found a website about wine and it said sauvignon blanc was good with salads. If you know a lot about wine, I'm sorry, it's the site's fault lol 
> 
> \- Only one more chapter, then Third Contact


	15. xiv: Penumbra

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello!
> 
> Here it is, as I promised! My mouse is seemingly broken, and I really don't like using the laptop without one, so I'm keeping this short.
> 
> I'm sorry for not replying to your comments; if you want honesty, I've been feeling so demotivated with life in general lately that sometimes I feel too lazy to turn the laptop on, hence why I haven't logged onto tumblr for the past two days. I'm trying to work and fix that, though.
> 
> Even so, I still appreciate every feedback and take them into account! Again, I apologize for being so shitty lately lmao
> 
> Thank you for the gift, it was lovely just as lovely as you

* * *

**Penumbra**

* * *

_ The penumbra is the weak or pale part of the Moon's shadow. From within the penumbra, the Sun is only partially blocked by the Moon as in the case of a partial eclipse. This contrasts with the umbra, where the Sun is completely blocked resulting in a total eclipse. _

* * *

The dinner night was only a private opening to the festival week, planned with only the aristocracy in mind; on the following morning occurred the official opening and the grand front patio of the palace was filled with people of all ages. If sitting wearing only the top and the skirt was bad enough, standing before most of the townspeople in the same outfit proved to be highly uncomfortable, but Zelda managed to hold her pose and keep that smile on her face.

A vacant island to the side was arranged to hold most events, with stands built all around selling goodies or offering games for young kids or couples in love. There was a harmless playground for the children, a place for plays, another for target shooting competitions, another for wrestling and one where they could battle with the help of their spells and magic. Many of them happened all at once, so she had to plan her time to enjoy all that was offered, most of the times by herself. Zelda spent hours watching the plays and surprisingly the actors looked up at her seat on the alcove as if checking her reaction and seeking her approval. She did not let herself be deluded by the remote idea that her opinion on their work truly mattered, but still she was the first to clap and smile for their acting was truly impressive.

On the third day, she was lucky to run across Robyn, whom she had not seen in quite some time. With that same long scarf around his head, he ran up to her with a big smile and a piece cotton candy sticking to his chin, the fluff cloud of pink sugar on the stick held firmly in his hand. Walking together through the crowd of people with guards tailing behind them, they attracted more stares than wanted and the princess was sure her different looks were only part of the problem. She was starting to believe her suspicions that Robyn, and Link too, had something to with the odd glances thrown their way. Nonetheless, they walked together for most of the afternoon through the booths, where she paid for the games they played and won toys for him; that was probably the first time he won so many gifts all at once and she felt incredibly good for making him happy. He deserved it.

In the last moments before the first hour of evening, he accompanied her back to the palace so she could dress up for that night’s dinner. Zelda had three exact copies of that one outfit and the more she wore it, the more she grew used to it, but it was still hard to parade about with her upper body mostly uncovered. No one seemed to mention or even care that she used the same thing every day and every night, and her state of undress went unnoticed by all since they were so used to it, even if the only moment of the day when she truly felt good was when she put on her long nightgown, she still wore what was given to her as to follow their tradition and not upset anyone.

Despite her intentions being genuinely good, the nobility was proving to be a real pain in the... Neck.

Not only they were accusing her of being disrespectful, the women mostly were giving her terrible migraines. One, in an attempt to belittle the Hyrulean princess before both of their husbands, was about to say how pitiful it was that she could not speak Twili; Link choked on his glass of merlot the moment his wife starting speaking so fluently, laughing in the face of the snobby couple when Zelda said it was pitiful the woman could not understand her if she ever decided to speak Hylian. Raising her eyebrows as she sipped her wine as if to say _who is being the pitiful one here_ , she looped her arm through Link’s and he led her away with a proud grin on his lips.

Zelda was not one to talk behind people’s backs, but it seemed to be Link’s favorite pastime to do with her during dinner; in the first two nights at least, he loved to drag her around the ballroom to see her proving all these nobles wrong. Their faces were priceless; she had a way of demonstrating she was more capable than they thought without appearing to be showing off, but when her eyebrows arched and she brought her glass to her lips it felt like heaven to him. No better expression would ever fit her when talking to these nobles; he wished he could have it painted and hung on the wall of his study.

This evening, two locks of her hair were braided on top of her head and tied back in a ponytail, leaving most of her back bare for all to see. Walking with Midna to the ballroom again, they parted ways upon meeting with their husbands and Link immediately guided her to their seats, that smug smirk on his face as they went past some of the nobles she had called out. After she did so, her husband was smiling more and being more open, as well as a gentleman, pulling back her chair and asking for refills of her glass before it was emptied. It made her heart flutter and her cheeks grow hot, and she was thankful for the blush powder applied to her cheeks. Zelda dared think he was starting to enjoy her presence, but also dared not get her hopes up, still the princess soaked in his attention like a sponge, greedily taking all she could. One could not blame her; liking Link this much was as hard and painful, she had to appreciate these small actions while they were available.

The pinot noir served that night with the grilled fish had a delicious smell and she could not stop twirling it around her wine glass. For some she looked rather bored doing so, although that was merely the way she found long ago to distract herself when something was bothering her. Link excused himself to go to the restroom and left her alone at their dining table, and without him around, she felt incredibly out of place and, dare she say, vulnerable. The nobles watched her like hawks searching for preys and after she defended herself from their unwanted opinions on her, Zelda was under the impression they were more prone to try to harm her in any way now that her husband was not around. They would not, she told herself as she set the glass down and folded her hands neatly on her lap; there were far too many witnesses, they would not be stupid enough to do such thing now.

“You seem sort of lonely.”

She was enjoying her alone time, but she was not about to tell that to Midna. “He went to the restroom.”

The other princess quirked an eyebrow. “And you are here sitting alone?”

“My heels hurt me, I am resting my feet.”

“You have not worn any shoes in hours, Zelda.”

Zelda agreed with a series of nods; she was so eager to come up with an excuse she forgot she was walking around the palace barefooted these past days. “You have got a good sight, Princess Midna. Like a hawk’s.” Her eyes darted to the side towards the people; Midna caught on that and pulled a chair with a huff.

“Are they giving you a hard time?”

She thought for a moment, eyes cast to the other side. “Not much with Prince Link around.”

Midna’s smile was almost too triumphant for the occasion, but Zelda knew just why her sister-in-law seemed so radiant. “I figured he would protect you from them.” The way she said it made her stomach queasy and her heart beat just a tad bit faster, but Zelda kept her face composed as the Twili spoke. “Do not worry about them; they are not worth your time.”

“He said to focus on more people like him and Robyn.” Midna visibly paled at her words, the colors fading from her beautiful face. “I wonder what he meant.”

Her stare was heavy and intense, never had Midna felt so pressured under someone’s gaze, but here she was, almost fidgeting before the Light Princess. If Zelda fixed him with a stare like this, she would put him in line in a matter of minutes. Whereas Midna had a charismatic personality that made it possible for her to manipulate people, Zelda was quiet and calculating and the owner of the most piercing blue eyes the Twili princess had ever seen. They looked straight at, into and past her. She was not sure if Zelda was aware of the things she could do with her eyes alone, but they were enough to make someone confess for their crimes and sins. It seemed effortless to pull this off.

The fiery haired woman averted her gaze, lest she spill the beans without putting up a fight. “These nobles are hard to handle, leave them to me.”

Zelda’s face remained the same, except for there was something different, though she could not point a finger and say what it was exactly; but if Midna had to give this not-far-from-usual expression a name, it would be suspiciousness. The Hylian princess was no fool; she was starting to catch up.

“Anyway, would you like to meet some friends of mine?”

It was barely noticeable, but her blue eyes squinted ever so slightly, and the princess nodded in reluctance. Midna was glad she took the bait, though unwillingly and well aware of the distraction; it would give her time to think of more excuses and keep Zant away from Zelda, he was more likely to answer to all her inquires, whatever they were, and she did not want anyone talking about her brother. If Zelda wanted to know something about her husband, she would have to ask him herself, which was something she would not do. Satisfied that the other princess was seemingly trapped, Midna smiled widely and led the princess away towards her group of friends.

A little annoyed that the Twilight Princess managed to evade the subject, Zelda put a lot of effort into trying to appear entertained while going over facts in her head. Midna’s friends did not seem too comfortable around her presence, but unlike the other nobles, they were not looking down on her, probably because Midna was close and they did not want to upset her. Zelda kept her comments to herself unless they asked for her opinions, acting the same way she did around the Royal Family even after being married to the prince for over half a year. Midna did not try to coax her into talking more, afraid the princess would ask something regarding Link and receive the answers she was looking for.

The friendly atmosphere lasted until the moment a count ran into her on purpose, splashing his drink all over Elliét’s scarf. Too drunk to comprehend what he got into, the count found himself on the other end of Midna’s rant while the Hylian princess excused herself in order to clean the scarf before it got ruined. Untying it from around her torso, Zelda found herself with less coverage than desired, thus attracting more stares than before. With the double of people now staring at her, she started feeling like a freak, but still exited the room calmly as to not give them the idea that they succeeded in scaring her.

Just outside the door, she met with her husband. “Where are you going?”

Distressed that she was not far enough from the guests, she replied exasperatedly. “A lovely friend of yours got his wine all over me.” At that, he glanced at her uncovered torso and his face immediately flushed red. If he wanted to, now it was easier to imagine how his wife looked like in underwear.

Link placed a closed fist over his mouth and cleared his throat, an act he seemed to be doing quite a lot lately. “Who was it so I can give him a piece of my mind?”

Zelda cocked her head back, “Him, but I would not worry; your sister is doing a fine job.” With that, she walked around him and resumed her short trip to the nearest restroom. Perhaps she could retire now?

“I will go with you.” The quirk of her eyebrow prompted him to explain. “I have no desire to be back so soon.”

“Are you sure? They are serving salmon with passion fruit sauce in a few moments; it is your favorite dish.”

 In response, his stomach growled, and the prince crossed his arms as if nothing happened. “I can live without it _.” Can I_ , his face said, and she shook her head with a smile at his antics.

They went back to their chambers, where Zelda tried to wash away most of the wine in the sink while Link helped her by searching for another scarf to replace that one, but both of them had none. Digging deeper into his closet, he found old clothes from when he was a teen; these could be given to people in need. At first, he thought Robyn would do good use of them, but he was treating his wife so nicely that he deserved some new ones instead. “I did not find anything.”

She hang the wet scarf on the edge of the bathtub with a sigh. “Now I wish I could have brought some of mine along.”

“Just put one of your dresses, it will be alright.”

Zelda emerged from the bathroom with an unhappy expression and stole a glimpse at herself in the full body mirror. “No, I am not changing.” Her voice held finality, so he tried not to argue even though she had shivered when she looked at her reflection. Simply, he offered her an arm and led her back to the ballroom, hyperaware of her fingers moving over the fabric of his robe.

Entering the room was different from the first time. Without her scarf and now with a fierce look in her eyes, Zelda carried herself more confidently, mind set in showing she was much stronger than they believed. It worked. Whispers were swallowed with wine as she passed, eyes accompanied her from the door to her table, until the moment Link pulled her chair and she sat down with a triumphant smirk on her face. Her husband had to wonder where all that confidence came from.

Once seated, he leaned in to whisper. “I saw someone shuddering.” They laughed quietly, faces a bit too close but none of them noticed, and then straightened when dinner was served.

Link ate with as much gusto as ever, but could mask it under a layer of finesse when in the presence of the nobility. They held a brief conversation during dinner, talking about nothing that made sense to the other occupants of the table, who for once managed to be discreet while watching as to not catch the prince’s attention and have him yell at them. Link poured her more wine while Zelda talked about her favorite meals in Hyrule, saying she would get her cooks to prepare him the fusilli pasta she so loved, and he eagerly agreed to it. Elliét grabbed her husband’s wrist and shook it in happiness, and he chuckled at the sight of her puffed cheeks.

Dinner progressed so smoothly and so well, they barely noticed the time slipping away. After desserts, the rest of the family went downstairs to socialize, but the couple remained by the table, just sipping their drinks and talking, talking about food and things they enjoyed doing in their spare time. It was the first time since her arrival that they sat down and had a proper, real conversation, like two good friends that knew each other for more than a couple of months. He was not sure if Robyn experienced it often, but being able to make Zelda laugh was wonderful. She was radiating, face shining, eyes crinkled and shoulders shaking. The sound of her laughter was wonderful, captivating. Link wanted to picture every second of it; if she was not so quiet, if she was more open like this, then surely they could have grown closer much faster.

Slowly, guests left and that was their cue to leave. Slipping away from the ballroom without biding goodnight to anyone, the princess could feel the wine finally affecting her brain while her husband had long ago felt its effects. Tripping on the carpet and on his own feet, she tried to lead him to their room without toppling over with him, laughing throughout their short, but somewhat adventurous, trip. How many glasses she had had, she wanted to ask herself, but it was difficult with Link cracking bad jokes every three steps he took, laughing like a hyena and waiting to see if she would find them funny.

At long last, they made it, though they spent several minutes to get there thanks to Link’s spent state. He stumbled over to the bed, plopped down on her side and rolled his heavy body to the other, now laughing like a child. Zelda was still sober enough to go into the bathroom and change to her nightgown, though it was messy and falling off her shoulder on one side; meanwhile, her husband fought to take off his chain, tabbard and robe, leaving them as a heap mess on the floor by the bed. She returned and joined him in bed, where he then decided to find her ticklish spots, but found none and so he pouted.

“You are so boring!”

She shrugged halfheartedly. “Forgive me.” He snorted and went back to poking her sides.

As his search progressed on all places he had already poked, Link fell asleep, head on her shoulder and arm draped over her waist, snoring loudly in her ear. Zelda frowned to herself, thinking that there was something wrong, but she could not exactly say what it was. In a bad position with the Twili so close to her, she found she could not move her left arm; falling asleep in such uncomfortable way took her longer than imagined, but at least the discomfort distracted her from the wild palpitations of her heart and the hot flush of his cheek on her skin.

In the morning, the princess detangled herself from his hold, her arm numb and asleep. Hanging the clothes from the past night properly was a challenge with the way her arm ached, and whilst she tried hard to place the pieces away, he awoke, with half-opened eyes, a scrunched up face, and not recalling anything. With a grumble and a “damn this hangover” as her greetings that morning, they fell back into their old routine. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Post chapter notes:
> 
> \- Look at all this fancy wine I don't know about
> 
> \- Personally, I like how they interacted here but that's just me
> 
> \- In the next chapter they explain Link's "secret" and I'm still so ???? this isn't good enough but it makes sense to me but what if they don't like it and I made such a big fuss about it I'm so insecure omg I want to delete this and restart ???? I AM SO KFDHFAKDHADKJFH
> 
> \- But anyways see the name of this chapter? Penumbra? Yeah, it's important


	16. xv: Third Contact

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> /throws this here
> 
> I am so tired of reading this and trying to make myself love it!!!!!!! aaaahhhhhh!!!!!!!!
> 
> HONESTLY read more at the end I am so tireD
> 
> I am ruining your fic I AM SO SORRY

* * *

**Third Contact**

* * *

_The instant when the total or annular phase of an eclipse ends._

* * *

Servants knew the day was truly going to be great when their prince was in a good mood, which was a rare occurrence. In these days, when Link was spotted humming to himself and occasionally whistling with a smile present on his face, the castle personnel greeted him warmly and inquired of his day, asking how good it had been so far. Turns out, he had been like this ever since the festival ended and many believed it was because he would not have to deal with the nobles he so disliked, which was for mostly true.

On his part, Link still did not remember any of what happened between he and his wife while tipsy, but he did remember he was supposed to get Robyn some gifts after he rummaged through his closet looking for an old pair of socks. While the yellow wrapping was unflattering, the clothes inside were actually nice. He did not know what to get for the kid, so two new scarves and one linen shirt were the first things that came to his mind. That memory came just in time; at times, Link would have doubts that he was nothing more than a solid pool of anger. Remembering that he had the idea of gifting someone was nice, it made him feel less cast out.

Finding Robyn was as easy as finding Zelda – when she was not running away to pray on lakes, that is. Weaving his way through the hallways, he knew exactly where they were: the library, Zelda’s third home. He hoped he would not interrupt them, Link knew the young Twili was being taught Hylian by the princess, especially after the lake incident, for before that she was constantly doing her researches.

The door was open, giving him a glimpse of the inside of the room, but the people he was looking for were not in sight. Entering the library and heading for the seats placed by the painting he tried to fling out the window once, Link halted as he heard their topic of conversation and backtracked his steps silently, choosing to stand just outside the door, a little sideways and out of view.

He would not interrupt that.

* * *

After finding out about the contract, Zelda distanced herself from the people around her and developed an extremely cunning, perceptive, and sometimes manipulative personality. Back in Hyrule, she would be seen everywhere; courts, trials, audiences, she attended to all of them on her own free will, most of the times taking the king’s place and acting as the judge. One would have to be a good liar to walk away freely if they were actually guilty; innocent people were overjoyed when they saw her sitting at the front of the room. She had what their ruler lacked in compassion, wisdom and a sense of rightness.

Her father praised her for her intelligence, an attempt to get her to talk to him more often and less formally, confide to him her worries and thoughts, but Zelda saw right through his actions and not granted him as much as a thank you. His words would get him nowhere.

She did not know to which extent they had already noticed it, but Midna was being much more careful ever since that festival night a fortnight ago and Zant did not speak as much to the Hylian, no doubt his wife’s doing. Without Zant to tell her what she needed to know and knowing none of the siblings, or the parents, would open their mouths and spit out the truth, Zelda had only one person she could turn to – and would have to accept it if he did not know anything.

Robyn was so distracted by an old Hylian tale of a fire dragon and a hero that she had to call his name thrice before he risked a glance up at her. She smiled at his interest, but held no remorse that she was about to delay his reading for at least an hour or so. “Tell me something, Knight Robyn.”

He had a big grin on his face, oblivious to what was to come. “Anything, Your Highness!”

“Tell me why the people seem to hate Prince Link.”

He blinked, taken aback. Certainly he was not expecting that, and Zelda never beat around the bush, ever.

The Twili noticed how her features hardened suddenly, and a strong vibe seemed to pour off her pores, one that just made him want to yell everything she wanted to hear. Robyn did not know what would happen if he did not have or give her the information she was after, so he felt very lucky that he knew.  “It...”

She hardly blinked and sat unmoving, back taut and gaze penetrating. For a moment, he thought of a cat circling around an aquarium filled with goldfish. And he was the fish.

“It starts way back.”

Zelda nodded and leaned back on her seat, knowing she would not need to keep that up for too long, for Robyn would tell her with no hesitation. He took a deep breath and glanced around to make sure they were truly alone – an unneeded action, because no one ever entered the library when they were there, but she understood his precaution.

“Have you ever heard of the... Dark Interlopers?” She assented once. Yes, she had studied them when going through Hyrule’s and the Twilight Realm’s histories, but there was not much she knew aside from the fact that they were banished from her land by the Goddesses and evolved into the very being sitting across from her. “Says the legend they were a powerful tribe from Hyrule, yes?”

“Sorcerers who tried to gain control over the Sacred Realm and the Triforce with the power of the Fused Shadows.” She recited slowly, a slight stress line appearing between her brows. “I have no idea what these relics are, though.”

“I can explain to you later.” He grinned, content he could be the one to share some knowledge with her and not the other way around. “Though it were the Goddesses who banned these people to our realm, the Twili blame the Hyruleans the most. If this tribe had not been so power-hungry, we probably would not exist.” She swallowed; that was something she had never considered. “Not only that, but Hyrule and Twilight have been at war since the beginning of our history and many times we were massacred, having to rebuild our home over and over countless times. The Twili do not like people from the Light Realm at all and they are glad we do not share as much physical similarities, which helps us forget.” A short pause. “Or at least, some do not.”

Robyn went quiet, hands fisting his long scarf and teeth gnawing his bottom lip. Zelda felt her hand twitch, as if it was eager to slam on the coffee table and order answers, like she had done in courts before. “There is a... Not as rare as they make it sound genetic mutation that affects some of the Twili. It does not have any negative side effects, aside that it makes these Twili look more like Hyruleans.” He scratched the back of his head for a moment. “Signs include a shorter stature, pointed ears, green or brown eyes, and hair that does not range from bright yellow to red.”

As the boy spoke, her eyes slowly widened. Link, her husband, the prince of their people, had all of these features. The hair, the ears, the height, it all made sense. The populace did not like him because he resembled her people, the ones they used to be, the ones who had killed and oppressed thousands of their kind. Greed, it was the cause behind all of that. The greediness of her race got part of it banished, it was why Hyrule expanded over the years and tried to expand to the other side of the mirror. It was why she was married to Link, as if that simple act could undo and fix all of her ancestors’ doings and mistakes.

“Both Link and I share this same genetic mutation, among countless others you have not met.”

That explained why Link did not let Robyn near her when they went into town for the first time, why he was always near during the festival, why he had asked her four times if it was okay to leave her alone in the ballroom with so many nobles around. That was why he told her to focus more on people like him and Robyn, because if she was so accepting of the two, she could accept the rest of the populace that was shunned by their own kind.

Although, to those who were not affected by the mutation, like most of the nobles and upper class, it seemed she only liked the both of them because they looked similar to her.

Zelda could feel her heart beating fast as her companion lowered his scarf to reveal pointed ears and green irises, a baby face that did not belong in a body of a sixteen years old boy. He was as old as Ralis and just a couple of inches taller. He would not grow to be taller than Link, much less taller than her or Midna or Zant. They would always be known as the different kind. She supposed her husband had it “easier” because he was part of the Royal Family, no one could ever harm him and walk away without a punishment – now Robyn and the others, on the other hand, were not safe from their spite.

Robyn’s lips parted to speak, but her eyes darted towards the door and her body tensed. The princess was quiet for several moments, heart threatening to leap out of her chest. Eyebrows pinching slightly, she spoke without returning her gaze to his face, slow, low and clear. “Link’s eyes are blue.” The Twili swallowed at her tone. “Explain that.”

He had forgotten that small detail. If he had not been so specific, he would not need to explain that. The kid readied himself, all the while noticing how she stared with intensity at the only entrance of the room. From her rigid posture, he could not tell if she wanted to look imposing or if she was simply defensive. He turned to look at the door briefly, but from where he was, he saw nothing. Maybe... She was seeing or hearing things? Robyn shook his head to clear his mind. “There is a legend, not many speak much of it.” That caught her attention immediately, gaze snapping in his direction. “I will tell you what I know.”

“Continue.”

“Long ago, the Goddesses sent the purest man of Hyrule, the bravest and fairest of all, through the mirror, seeing as it would not be possible for any of us to go to your land, in hopes that he would ease the tension between both races.” Zelda blinked, seemingly taken aback by that. By her reaction, he guessed she had never heard of it, but it was to be expected. It was just an old Twili legend, if not only an excuse to explain Link’s blue eyes, one that Midna hated. “For some unknown reason, he was turned into a wolf.”

The princess, it appeared, had ceased breathing altogether. Robyn panicked a little and grabbed the arms of his chair, legs kicking into action into action, but at the first sudden twitch of his arm, she had moved, twisting her body as if she would chase and tackle him before he even got to the door. Robyn froze and swallowed, then sunk back in his seat for good measure as Zelda apologized for scaring him twice in a roll. “Go on.”

He shook his head slowly. “Nothing much is known. He was chased out of the palace and hunted until he gave up in trying to communicate and ran to the forest far away. After that, the ruler of that time ordered that the vacant areas between the palace and the forest should be exploded to create gaps between here and there, so the wolf could not return. The process was repeated on other locations as well.” The princess nodded in understanding; so that explained how the Twilight Realm came to be composed of islands. At some point, it could had been the perfect mirrored version of Hyrule. “Legend says this hero lost his humanity to his wolf’s instincts that took over. He was never seen again.”

Zelda contemplated that in silence. “And... What does that have to do with Link?”

Robyn let out a small groan, hands wringing on his lap. “That is where it gets strange, it does not make sense.” She returned his confused frown. “The wolf was said to have blue eyes, and so the people believe the wolf’s, the hero’s, spirit is in Prince Link’s body. That is because blue eyes are not common among the Twili. No Twili was ever born with... Blue eyes, they are only seen in Hyruleans.”

“What else?”

“His Highness has a flaring temper as you have noticed. The day when you returned and the castle was a wreck – it was him.” Her eyes widened, he nodded heavily. “He runs away with his bird once in a while – he goes to that same forest. He says it calms him. He is a loner, he prefers solitude and quietness, and his senses of hearing, sight and smell are sharper than anyone else’s.” Zelda covered her parted lips with a bare hand, trying to keep her composure. “Not only that but he is the only known Twili in our time who is able to wield a sword seamlessly, something no one has used for well over centuries. No one taught him how to do that, there are no books written on that.”

The kid paused; Zelda tried to control her breathing.

“He is known as the Beast’s Child.”

It was too much information and there was only so much the princess could process in a matter of minutes. She looked at Robyn for elaboration, and he had more things to say.

“The people believe he is more Hyrulean than Twili – some say he does not have Twili blood in his veins. They do not like him because they think he is a sign that Hyrule is going to strike again, and this time, take the throne.” Her hand fell limply on her thighs, shoulders slumping, eyes staring ahead blankly, seeing nothing. Robyn let out a little scoff. “Personally, it is just... It is just an excuse, or a lie. It is easier to say they hate him than to admit that they are afraid of him... Afraid of the people of Hyrule, afraid of you and of what you can do.”

Zelda regarded him seriously for a long while, her face giving away nothing as she digested everything he said. Then, she licked her lips and rolled her shoulders, rubbed her temples and touched various other spots from her face and arms to release the tension as the boy watched her, the frown on his forehead softening as time passed. She wanted to tell him anything that would soothe his worries, but she could think of nothing. “Is there any fact that will prove for sure that Link is indeed a Twili?”

Robyn bit the inside of his cheek and looked up at the ceiling, thinking long and hard, searching for an answer. “A true Twili does not have a shadow under the sun, as for we are the shadows.” He scratched the back of his head, and proceeded to wrap the scarf around it again. “But it is hard to check it, because there is no actual sun here.”

“Not to mention that you cannot get exposed to it.” The princess sighed, and told him to get back to his reading after a while. She had enough to ponder over now, enough to keep her busy.

* * *

Link was absent during supper that night. Though Zelda had seen him about two hours after Robyn was done explaining facts, the prince was not seen again. She was left to answer inquiries of his whereabouts with small twists of her lips and shrugs, and picked on her food throughout dinner. After the surprisingly lonely experience, she decided to head straight to her bedroom as not to deal with anyone else and hopefully not even her own husband. There were too many things her mind needed to digest and the longer he took to retire to bed, the more chances she had of falling asleep and not having to face any of what she learned or him.

Robyn told her that the people learned about the arranged married before Link himself did. In her mind, that coupled with the fact that he was born with the mutation alone could have led to all this fear and hate, and she suspected the nobles had something to do with it, they always did.

Her heart soared when she spotted him disappearing into his closet, cloak halfway down his arms. As she swallowed down her sudden excitement and felt the first traces of awkwardness rising up, Zelda decided to strike a conversation up to keep the mood from changing too drastically. “It was nice of you to give Robyn new clothes.” Moving towards the door he had just crossed, she leaned against its doorframe, hands loosely cupping her elbows. “Although... I do not understand why he was so hesitant to accept your gifts.”

The Twili placed his cloak on a hanger and put it away. “Nobody told you about _that_ , I believe?”

She visibly tensed, but thankfully he had his back turned to her, and her voice came out as fluid as ever. “I believe they did not.”

“Very well.” He said with a sigh as he unclasped the chain from his tunic. “Fabric is very rare around here. Only the Royal Family is allowed to own such things, everybody else, and us included, are able to manipulate shadows, so in that way we can cover ourselves.”

Her eyebrows raised in an arch. So that explained why Midna’s clothes, cape and skirt excluded, were so skintight; it all made sense now. “But Robyn... Robyn had a scarf before. A real one.”

Link nodded. “Mother gave it to him after she overheard his grandfather saying Robyn was tired of people staring at him.” Zelda had always known Queen Elliét was the one with a soft spot for kids, or simply the one with the kindest heart in the Twili Royal Family. “It was made out of an old dress of hers. One she wanted to pass down to Midna, but she turned out to be more curvaceous than expected.” And that was also true; Queen Elliét’s body was so lithe and petite as opposed to her daughter’s, who had curves in all the right places.

“Your mother is very kind.”

“So she is.” He shut the drawer with too much strength. Immediately, his wife knew he was not in a good mood – but he was not ignoring her and was instead talking to her, which was a good thing. They were making progress, she supposed. “Nobody can touch Robyn because of that scarf. He takes so much care of it, if mother sees it has a small torn, she will know someone did something bad to him.”

He went to take off his tunic, hands grabbing at the hem. Zelda closed her eyes and covered them with a hand for good measure to give him some privacy. “I can only imagine how much the clothes I wore at the festival are worth.”

A dry chuckle came from her husband, accompanied by the rustling of – precious, scarce – fabric. “You have no idea.” Link looked over his shoulder at her and had to stifle a chuckle at the sight that met him, though the urge to do so went away as quickly as it came. “The dresses you brought from Hyrule are probably worth all the gold we have.” He fully turned around to envision her in shimmering white like he hard first seen her. “Your wedding dress alone made of fine Zora fabric and encrusted with gems... Could be traded for the Palace of Twilight.”

Her mouth fell open. “You cannot be serious.”

Link pressed his lips together and answered bitterly. “But I am.”

It had never crossed his mind that, even though he was part of the Royal Family, maybe he was not rich enough to give Zelda the life she had in Hyrule. He could buy her a Shadow Kargarok, he could make sure only the right foods were served, he could give her pretty necklaces, but he could not buy enough fabric to make one of her luxurious ball gowns she wore in parties. With all the fabric they got every month, he could get her the same outfit she wore in the festival, one she did not entirely like or felt comfortable in. If they were to save her part to get her a real dress, they would have to save it for about a whole year to have enough for a simple dress.

By seeing her walking around fully clothed, everyone automatically knew she had more money, in a way.

The prince turned back to his closet and hang his tunic before getting his pair of pants and quickly slipping them on. He knew she did not mind it, but he felt bad for not being able to provide her with something so essential.

“I am sure that now we can fix that.”

“We do not have enough money to import so many–”

“Fabric is not that expensive in Hyrule.” He halted then turned again to find her staring at him, hand away from her face. “If it is not satin, chiffon or silk, that is. Cotton is usually cheap.”

“Did you not hear–”

“It is not like we are going to charge you all it is worth.” Zelda stood straighter, at full height. Seeing her like that, he could easily imagine someone else taking a step back. Even Zant, tall as he was, would at least lean away. “We can work on a trade, we can do something.” She frowned at him; Link liked making things complicated when they could be easily solved. “We are married, Link. We are representatives of two different nations. It is not that hard.”

He held eye contact until she turned away, dress rustling as she crossed the room towards her own closet. The door was shut loudly and he flinched involuntarily, both at the sound and at her words. He was aware of what they could do given their position, but the people would not like it. They would not like the idea of being helped by the very same beings they disliked. They would not accept that kind of... Charity, so to say. Link ruffled his hair in agitation; they were the two people who could fix things, but it would not be so simple. If only it were so easy to change their reality.

That was the first time she did not put his title before his name, also, he realized later when his chest tightened.

Zelda emerged from her closet and prepared her side of the bed, cheeks slightly puffed and red. The prince had never seen her doing such harsh movements before, hands shaking as she pulled back the sheets and nearly throwing the pillows at the headboard. She was angry, an emotion she had not openly showed ever since her arrival. Link walked to his side and pulled back the covers in one fluid motion, startling her in the process, for she jumped back and narrowed her eyes. She kept her gaze on his face whilst lowering herself to the mattress, watching with turbulent blue eyes as he did the same.

“You know, do you not?”

The princess inhaled deeply, feeling her chest clench at his hesitant tone. “Yes,” and she was aware he was standing outside the library the whole time while she was busy with Robyn, “I know.”

Link cast his gaze down and curled his fingers inwards, gripping the sheets. “So?” He asked after a pause, and then bit his bottom lip, teeth pulling at the skin.

“Don’t do that, you’ll hurt yourself.” He released his lip, and she cleared her throat to hide the fact she spoke less formally than she should have. “I like you the way you are. These things, these assumptions, this tale, this truth, whatever it is, will not make me change my mind.” Zelda spread her fingers in the space between them. “I would like you if you were purely Hylian, I would like you if you were purely Twili. Gerudo, Goron, Zora, Sheikah, human – race would not matter, I would like you still.”

“Would you only like me because we would be married?”

She breathed out then licked her lips. “I like you simply because I chose to.”

He exhaled, shoulders dropping. Link did not know what he felt – relief or gratitude – but he was undeniably happy that she was so accepting, and she was not mad at him for keeping it a secret either. The prince reached a hand out and, hesitantly and gingerly, placed it on top of hers, loosely curling his fingers and giving it a gentle squeeze. “Thank you, Zelda. For being so understanding.”

Zelda turned her palm up so they could lace their fingers. “You do not think I only like you for being... Half Hylian, do you?”

Link shook his head. “No, I do not.” He ran his finger over her wedding band. “I know you are not like that.”

“I am glad you do.”

“But...” He looked up at her, a glint in his feral eyes. “Do not let this affect you. You know they do not like me because I look like the ones of your kind. Do not let this–”

She gave him a constrained smile, “I will not.” Zelda cupped her other hand over their joined ones, and smiled more genuinely. “If anything, I am just a little mad that this dislike is for such a silly reason.” His touch felt warm, and she believed hers was too. “You did not choose to be born like this.”

“I did not,” he took her free hand in his and squeezed it as well, “but I do not mind it. It is the differences that make us who we are.”

Her eyes were shining, the blue looking crystalline; he dared think those were unshed tears. Link grinned, and she returned the gesture, while he mused on how her hands were almost weightless in his. The festival had come in a good time, just in the time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Post chapter notes:
> 
> \- When I was planning the fic, I thought Link looking more like a Hylian than a Twili, also the Beast's Child tale, were good enough reasons for him to be disliked, but I think I focused on it so much and things got out of hand and now the reasons aren't good enough??? YELLS this chapter was supposed to be the best /looks out the window  
> \- The idea that the Twili don't have shadows was based on something I read. I thought it was exactly that, but it was actually that Midna doesn't have a reflection in-game, but I kept my idea because I can use it in the future
> 
> \- I'm just glad they're making progress whew


	17. xvi: Hybrid Eclipse

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Good afternoon, guys!
> 
> As some of you may have noticed, I'm making some effort into replying to your reviews and comments (finally, I know.) I do it during the week, though, so expect some responses!
> 
> Also, regarding our last chapter, as noted by user Chameleon Eyes, "I think they're good reasons for Link being disliked. Racism and nationalism can be veryy deadly things when combined." Yes, that's exactly what crossed my head. I like to include these things to my stories, but sometimes I worry I'm using them wrong; sometimes, they get into conflict with my own views, like something in particular that happens in Cold As Ice, which I'm still trying to fix.
> 
> But anyways, here's the newest chap! I've already started writing Hyrule Arc!
> 
> Enjoy!
> 
> ok we know that midlink children are beautiful but imagine how zelink kids would be with Twili!Link

* * *

**Hybrid Eclipse**

* * *

_ A solar eclipse in which the Moon's umbral and antumbral shadows traverse Earth (the eclipse appears annular and total along different sections of its path). Hybrid eclipses are also known as annular-total eclipses. In most cases, hybrid eclipses begin as annular, transform into total, and then revert back to annular before the end of their track. In rare instances, a hybrid eclipse may begin annular and end total, or vice versa. _

* * *

After weeks of heavy downpours, the weather was finally clear and nice enough for a walk outside. Zelda had woken up on the first rain-free day and thrown the curtains open, not really caring if she was waking her husband up in a not so gentle way, but he simply rolled over with a colorful curse and hid his face with her pillow. She shrugged her shoulders and stuck her face out the window to smell the fresh air and try to get as much sunrays on her skin as the twilight would let her; undeniably, she was getting paler with every week that passed. No doubts Rutela would look at her and say she was as white as a bed sheet when they meet.

She tried to be as quiet as possible when rushing to the bathroom to get her bath started and then going through all her clothes looking for her riding gown, but when Link groaned and pulled the comforters over his head, she was sure she was making too much noise. He definitely was not a light sleeper most of the times, but in the morning, it was so easy to wake him up – and he was not a morning person. Her husband was the crankiest man alive when it was time to rise; speaking loudly and too much within the first hour after he woke up would grant anyone a hard glare and, if they were unlucky enough, a harsh reprehension coming from the prince. She was always so quiet and had never been called out by His Moody Highness, but today she could hardly mask her eagerness.

“Why are being so noisy...” He drawled out in a muffled, whiny voice. His Moody Highness could be a tad bit of a baby, sometimes.

Well, she had not been called out... Until now. “It finally stopped raining.”

“But I thought you loved the rain?”

“I do.” She pushed a couple of dresses out of the way and finally found her gown. “But they canceled my plans.”

Zelda exited her closet and entered the bathroom, cutting him short on what he was about to say. Link remained hidden under the covers as his wife bathed and changed her clothes, which took about twenty minutes, plenty of time for him to take a nap, until the doors slid open and her dress started rustling as she went in a rush for the closet again. “What plans?”

A couple of her shoes fell from the shelves; she winced when she heard him curse from under a pillow. “Robyn and I were supposed to go out before it started raining. We can finally go.”

That was nice, he supposed. Now that she knew the truth about them and accepted it, he had no problems to let her be out in public, though Link still feared something could happen to the both of them. You never know who could try to attack them.  “Go where?”

“To the countryside.”

“I am going, too.”

She halted, hands on her boots, feet only halfway in, and looked over her shoulder. Her husband stood by her closet door, that sleepy-angry look on his face, arms crossed over his chest, hair tousled and skin with marks of their bed sheets. Zelda kept her gaze on his face and swallowed as he yawned and stretched like a cat. “While I would love to be in your company, Link, today is your day off, and I truly believe you should use it to catch up on some sleep.”

He smiled at her concern, but waved her off all the same before walking across the room. They were on first name basis now, something that was quite odd on his tongue, for he believe he never addressed her by name in the first place, not even to his family members, who, by the way, were making fools of themselves by whispering behind their hands whenever they were talking to or called each other. That damned festival brought him and his wife closer; a big deal, considering how their relationship had been up to that point, but not so much that they be that silly.

Link changed to his riding tunic and then made way for the bathroom to wash his face and brush his teeth, finding Zelda sitting on the vanity, a look of pure bliss on her face as she braided her long brown hair. Not long after, they headed for the dining hall, where they got some fruits from the bowl and placed them inside her partner in crime, the very same mailbag she used the last time she went out for a ride. His family, once again, was making a big fuss over the fact that they were going out together to the countryside, and mentioning that Robyn was going along, meaning there would be no intimate times like some were thinking, did little to make them act like the grown adults they were. Link, who was already in a very bad mood, did not refrain from snapping at Midna when her teasing got too annoying, and Zelda, wise as ever, did not interfere as to not make it worse.

Breakfast was rather quick, for Link shoved the food inside his mouth so they could get it over with soon, and when his mother decided to chide him for his rude manners, he talked back to her for not making Midna behave like the princess she was supposed to be, then stormed off the room, growls coming from him. “He needs to take things more lightly.” Queen Elliét commented as she poured some more tea for herself. “Did it bother you, Princess Zelda?”

Zelda cleaned the corner of her lips with a napkin and forced herself to smile at the queen, hoping it would be convincing, but she knew there were some things she could not hide. She felt uncomfortable whenever they started whispering, elbowing each other, lightly kicking the other’s shin under the table as if she was not aware of it. She did not mind being the center of attention in a wedding, in an event, in a festival or anything, but she did not like when they teased Link because they were finally starting to speak or when they murmured under their breaths about their life together. They were people, not pieces on an exhibition. The princess excused herself and followed after her husband, her boots filling the tense air with noise now that they realized these jokes could erase all progress they had made.

Her husband was already outside in the courtyard in the company of their birds and Robyn, ever the early riser, who donning his new linen shirt and scarf. “Good morning, Knight Robyn.” He saluted as he always did, sleeves too long for his arms. “We should fold these, and get you a belt to wear with the shirt.” The boy seemed hesitant to accept another gift from them, but at least he extended his arms so she could fold back the overly long sleeves.

The princess and her loyal companion shared her bird, which she named Icarus, despite not knowing if it was a male or not, but she kept the name anyways, and let Robyn guide the way to the countryside, Link flying behind them with a pensive look on his face. The scenery hardly changed when moving from one place to the other; it was always black endless pits, floating islands that sometimes would change from small towns to patches of dark grass and wood, and the same pinkish orange sky. The boy promised that where they were doing was different from all other places, and she believed him. As they approached one particular island, one black building standing before tall trees, Zelda wondered how he would react to all the diverse landscapes of Hyrule.

“This is the Royal Family’s house in the countryside.” He informed her as the bird descended to the flowery front yard. “They hardly come over, though. Sometimes grandfather and I come around to tend to the gardens and tidy the inside of the house.”

The building, like all others, was a big dark box, though smaller in size when compared to the palace. It seemed misplaced among the trimmed bushes and flower beds, the green trees located in the back belonged to the woods, she supposed, the very same the prince visited on his days off – no wonder he decided to tag along. There were a couple of benches to sit, a fountain at the front, gushing fresh water, but she could hear a second source of noise from somewhere else. A traditional house from Hyrule would be much more fitting in a place like this; it distantly made her think of Ordon.

Link helped Robyn and her dismount Icarus, and guided the bird by the reins to the back of the house, where he placed them inside pens with fresh food and water that the younger Twili helped collect. Meanwhile, Zelda stood at the entrance of the path that lead to inside the forest and hardly noticed how her hand gripped the other firmly. These woods were not much different from the ones she had seen in her life back home, still she found them intimidating somehow; that had to be because of the Beast’s Child tale, she was afraid of what she could find in there.

Robyn ran past her and down the trail, and she only moved when her husband placed his hand on her lower back and gave it a slight push.

They went in silence, the kid sharing with her his knowledge on the plants surrounding them, all of which looked too much alike with their twisted trunks and aerial roots for her to notice any difference, but still she urged him on and asked a few things to keep him going. Inwardly, as she stepped over dry twig after dry twig, she wondered how they could walk the path barefooted and not feel any pain; perhaps the sole of their feet was so rough for walking without shoes all their life that nothing ever bothered them anymore. There sure were bound to be sharp stones hidden somewhere under the dead leaves the coated the ground; if they were lucky, no one would get hurt.

Breathing was difficult, even if the air was fresh. Link, must have noticed, but made no comment of it, only kept flickering his gaze in her direction every few seconds to see how she was handling it. Zelda, on her part, had honestly been expecting to feel a fourth presence in there, had been waiting for the feeling of being watched by the unknown, but nothing out of ordinary happened. It was all in her head.

The path ended about ten minutes later at the top of a waterfall. At the base, Twili people collected the water into barrels and placed them into carts or carried it over their shoulders to their homes, simple huts not too far from where they were, smoke spiraling towards the sky from chimneys found in some of the small houses. There was a watermill, a windmill and crops surrounding the area, ordered neatly by type of plant; she could see pumpkins, tomato vines and purple cabbage, among others she did not recognize from where they stood. Dark furred, odd looking goats with twisted horns nibbled on tall grass on the slope of a hill behind the little village, and kids played in the running water far from the waterfall. Another sight that reminded her of Ordon Village, located in the southernmost province of Hyrule, a place she visited a few rare times in her life.

It left her craving for a touch of home, a remembrance of how it would be like to want to play with the goats, but her parents never really let her get close to them. Zelda asked that they go inspect it further, and it was Link who led the way after Robyn hesitated a minute too long. They emerged from within the woods close to where the kids were playing, who ran away calling for their parents as two strangers and a weird one suddenly were in their line of sight. As both members of the Royal Family expected, the people were at a loss of what to do with two royalties coming in unannounced to their little village, but Link was the one who was more apprehensive at how they would react to his wife’s presence, standing between the commoners and her as a shield. Robyn peeked from behind the princess to see what was going on, and the people were whispering once the pieces clicked together.

“It’s her.”

“She’s Prince Link’s wife.”

“The Hylian one.”

Murmurs arose and soon everyone from the village was around them, wanting to take a glimpse at the woman who had traversed the Mirror of Twilight. It did not take her too long to realize that they had never seen her before, that they had no means of crossing the endless pits that stood as barrier between this floating island and the one they called capital, and that these people, probably, had never been in the presence of a royalty before.

“Is she really the one?”

“I heard she likes the outcast.”

“But Duke Mirion said that is a bad thing.”

Link stood near both Zelda and Robyn under the curious gazes of the villagers. It seemed most of them were awed at her unique looks, simply too curious to meet the one who married the angry prince of their realm. Their reaction was better than he had expected, he admitted, none of them were turning away and, instead, were coming closer. It seemed that the simple fact that she accepted both him and Robyn was enough to drive them towards her, make them accept her as one of the rulers as well. Here, so far from the palace, the only thing that reached them was rumors; so far from the palace was also where most of the people like him lived, shunned away from the bigger cities by the ones who were too influenced by the court.

Princess Zelda took a step forward without notice, and the Twili backed away, opened way for her to walk until she reached someone who did not move from her path. The kid was smaller than Robyn and judging by their red eyes, it was one of the socially accepted ones. Beside them stood another of about the same height with striking green eyes, clinging to the other’s arm and staring intently at her with unshed tears. Silently, she lifted both hands, and even as they flinched away from her, Zelda placed her palms on their heads and smiled gently.

* * *

“It went better than expected,” he confessed hours later, when they were confined to his family’s country house.

“Yeah,” she agreed in a murmur, curled up on the other side of the couch with a blanket wrapped around her legs. Robyn sat on the floor before them, trying to build a house of cards with a deck Link found in the kitchen cabinet.

It went surprisingly well. He had no idea what his wife had in mind when touching the kids on the head without their consent, but it worked. Whatever that simple gesture meant, it worked wonders and the people were coming up to her and trying to touch her instead. Zelda spoke to them as if she had known them for years, and Link had to wonder how she managed to get their trust so easily and fast like that, but regardless of her secret ways, now they were sure not everyone disliked her. Maybe he could understand why they accepted her that quickly; the Hylian spontaneously showed up and talked to them as if they were close friends, while his family hardly had the time to pay them visits themselves, sending representatives instead. The nobles in court did not help much either, he thought bitterly.

And then, when they were surrounded by the simple townsfolk, Zelda seemed to be at her happiest. Her eyes were bright as she spoke to the children and she helped some of the farmers in milking their goats, despite the fact that she could not drink the milk; they picked fresh peaches and helped in the harvest, and though both were not so used to that kind of work, they enjoyed themselves – he, at least, had, and his wife did seem to love it. Robyn, for one of the first times since they met him, was playing with kids around his age, who were not afraid of his different colored eyes and long ears; that sight made Zelda’s blue irises shine the brightest he had seen in all the days they spent together. The people certainly did not know about the rules when it came to talking to people of higher blood, none of them bowed or spoke with their heads hung low, and that made Link feel like he was a simple man, the simple ranch boy he wished he could be when things got too difficult for him to handle.

And they had eaten so much. So many fruits, so many cooked plates; it seemed everyone wanted them to try something they had prepared, even the young ones that baked breads that were as hard as rocks. And Zelda tried all of it, except for the dishes with the ingredients she was intolerant to, which Link munched away when no one was paying attention to make it seem as if she was the one who had eaten it. Some villagers packed some of the leftovers as a symbol of their gratitude, and the trio went on their way after a long goodbye, when the sky was starting to darken again. They reached the house just as rain was starting to fall, and not too long after it was pouring hard outside. Zelda lit candles and left some of it in the kitchen and in the living room, while Link went upstairs to find some towels and blankets in case it got too cold and they could not get a fire going in the fireplace without many logs.

Hours passed and the rain had not stopped. The leftovers were their dinner, which they had just had, and they were lounging on the living room without a better thing to do. Link considered helping Robyn in building the house of cards, seeing as it fell whenever he tried to get past the second floor, but instead turned to Zelda when she stood from the couch. “Where are you going?”

She reached for the candlestick resting on the coffee table they pushed back to the edge of the rug. “Exploring.”

He snorted; there was nothing to see in the house. “Don’t get lost.” She giggled in response, and he finally joined the boy on the floor.

The stairs creaked under her boots, much like the ones in her summerhouse located in Lake Hylia. The upper floor was completely dark and was occasionally illuminated by the lightning that flashed outside. Of all six doors, five were bedrooms, complete with an in-built bathroom and wardrobe, much like their own in the Palace of Twilight, but smaller. The other door led to a simple washroom, with a cabinet with some flasks of different colors and a box with a first aid kit. Zelda backtracked her steps, disappointed that she had not found anything eye catching, and decided to explore the lower floor instead.

There was nothing to see in the living room that she had not already seen, so she went to the kitchen and rummaged through the cabinets, hoping she would find some other item that would keep them occupied; she found none. By the time she was heading to the hallway that led somewhere, their house of cards had four floors already. The corridor was narrow and dark, just like rest of the house. Paintings of Twili were hung throughout its length, ranging from a young Midna with a newborn Link in her arms, King Ardian and Queen Elliét on their wedding day, an old lady holding a baby Midna, and other people she did not recognize. At the end of the hall, there was a door to a small storage room, filled with dusty old objects. Zelda placed the candlestick on the first empty space she found and tried to find something interesting in the cramped up space. And she did.

“Link.” He looked over his shoulder to find his wife standing by the doorway, a candle stick on her hand and –

“No.”

“Oh, come on.” Zelda approached them quickly with a furrowed brow, “We have nothing better to do.”

“And you propose that we slice the couch into tiny pieces to pass time, then?”

Robyn looked up then, the scowl on the princess’s face was very prominent, but that was not what caught his attention the most. “Woah!” He whirled on the floor to rest on his knees before leaping up to a standing position, shifting the rug underneath him enough to make the house crumble. Link sighed, defeated, dropping his shoulders. “Are these swords?”

She directed a smile and a nod in his direction, “They are.” Then, after placing the candlestick away, she threw one of the swords in her husband’s direction, which he caught easily. “And we are going to spar.”

Link did not seem very happy or pleased with it at all, and watched through narrowed eyes as the woman unsheathed her weapon and threw its scabbard to the ground before assuming a stance with the sharp end pointed at him. “Can you move at all in your riding gown?” He seemed almost too tired to move when pushing himself off the ground into a standing position, and even lazy as he unsheathed his sword very slowly. Robyn took a couple of steps back and away from them.

Zelda did consider the possibility of cutting a slit on the side of her skirt to create more room for movement, but she feared that one, if not both, of them could see it as disrespectful considering the whole fabric is rare issue, so she shrugged in response and awaited for him to advance. Which, he did.

He was fast, but she was confident that she could beat him on that if she were using her preferred weapon; hers was much lighter and did not hold her down or slow her movements. Zelda now had to use most of her strength to swing it the right way, raise it to block, twist it to try and break his stance, which left her mostly defending herself from his quick attacks. For being the last known man on the Twilight Realm to wield a sword and be a practitioner of this lost art, Link knew how to use it well, though his form was not perfect and he lacked a tad bit of grace.

As the blades clashed, he maintained eye contact. It was unnerving, it felt like he was trying to show off, but she knew exactly why he was doing that. The princess formed a plan on her head whilst they moved, paced about and blocked and striked, while Robyn watched from the sidelines with wide, mesmerized eyes. He had never seen a swordfight before – and she guessed he had never really seen a sword in the first place – but this was far from being a professional fight, one that could keep many entertained. Maybe, if he were to visit Hyrule with her one day, he could watch one of the tournaments they held annually and then he would see how well two people could fight with better swords and proper clothes.

She swung her sword and hit his with more strength than he had anticipated. The hilt slipped from his grasp and the strike sent his sword flying towards the far north side of the room, crashing on the floor and sliding still until it reached the wall. Link was left to stare at a blank space while his wife walked away to retrieve the scabbard and Robyn clapped enthusiastically, congratulating her for her victory. The sound of the blade being sheathed was a muffled buzz in his ears, but her words that followed were clear over the rain outside.

“This does not change anything.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Post chapter notes:
> 
> \- His Moody Highness could be a tad bit of a baby, sometimes lmao
> 
> \- @ Kinnix Wolf: here we have it, part of the countryside! I really wanted them to have a good time there and know that some of the people like them, especially if you consider that for most of the story they're worrying about being accepted or not. Also, I gave them the chance to just be and enjoy themselves, working around the village, something I think the people wouldn't let them do if they were in Hyrule.
> 
> \- The idea of having Link stare at her while walking through the woods and sparing was as if he was testing her to see if she was completely okay with the reality of his situation, of being or not 100% Twili because deep down what she thinks of him matters and he is scared that it can change.


	18. xvii: Totality

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heeeyo!
> 
> Sadly, uni starts again tomorrow, which means I'll go back to posting a chapter every two weeks, which is sorta great tbh because I'm behind on writing (mad at myself for saying I was accepting drabble requests tbqh). It's weird to think that there's only eight chapters left to write, but I have more stories to write, such as Assassins II, which I completely threw to the side LMAO  
> Anyways, enjoy!
> 
> you ever wonder the kind of stuff Shad would say if he got drunk because I do

* * *

**Totality**

* * *

  _The maximum phase of a total eclipse during which the Moon's disk completely covers the Sun. Totality is the period between second and third contact during a total eclipse. It can last from a fraction of a second to a maximum of 7 minutes 32 seconds._

* * *

 

Link had been far too busy to give his wife attention as of late, and even though she had assured him that it did not bother her, it still bothered him. With his father away in another province, both Link and Midna had to make up for his absence and stay in charge, thus spending hours among piles and piles of paper, and having little time for distraction. At lunch, they came close to inhaling their food so they could leave as soon as possible, and behind their forms remained the last three members of the family, plus Robyn who had been invited to join them for their meals just recently.

The prince had stopped counting the days as soon as he realized that Zelda was not backing down and leaving, but he guessed that at least nine months had passed by now. He was never good with remembering dates and names; their first anniversary would come and he would not know it. That got him thinking that he did not know when her birthday was – his was just around the corner and hers might have already passed a long time ago. Truly, he was the best husband, a model to be followed, Link thought bitterly as a hand combed his hair back. He would never truly be good enough for her, of that he was convinced.

After their little adventure on the countryside some time ago, Link had the chance to observe more closely Zelda and Robyn’s relationship. What he had guessed many weeks ago had proven to be true: it was easy for them to get close because the kid was so similar to the Zora Prince who had attended to their weeding and left so sadly with bright green eyes. Link would bet all his money that it had been harder for his wife to part ways with both mother and son than with her own father. Even he had a better first impression of the fish people than he had of his father-in-law; that man, just like Zant, seemed to be perpetually hiding something.

Her close relationship with Robyn left the Twili Prince wondering if she saw him as a friend, as a younger sibling like Prince Ralis, or as... A son.

Months had passed and had not consummated their marriage yet. Link could say that he was not eager for that; he would rather wait years until they were both comfortable with each other to take that step, rather than doing it like it is a chore, an obligation. He did not know if she wanted kids – he himself did not know that – but he imagined that, if she ever asked him, they could... Take Robyn under their wing.

Link had grown fond of the kid. He had hoped that by assigning him to watch over her he would not form bonds with any of them, and now they were going on short little trips together to show Zelda how the rest of the Twilight Realm looked like. All of his plans backfired; first, he started caring, then they crafted together an odd friendship that started when his wife showed she would take no shit from any noble, be them from Hyrule or from Twilight.

He knew that they could not possibly adopt him, given the fact that he had living relatives who loved him and whom he loved back, so the most they could do was offer some help. They could give him a proper education and help the rest of the family; of course his grandfather would not agree and say it is unnecessary, but Link felt – and Zelda, more than anyone else – that Robyn deserved some spoiling. The fact that she was the kid’s first real friend was worth more gold than they had, but they never gave him more than just an average salary and some gifts here and there.

Blue eyes glimpsed away from the paper to watch as the two people in question sat on flat cushions around a small table they found somewhere and folded some old papers he had not thrown away yet. Zelda was teaching Robyn to fold ships, something the prince had never seen or heard of. “These will float on water after they are done,” she said, a smile lighting up her face as she went back to folding a swan, which moved its neck when she pulled both wings simultaneously. Zelda looked over her shoulder at her husband as Robin wooed and tried it himself, and Link smiled back briefly before dipping his head and resuming his work before he could get flustered for being caught.

These days when he was busy with work, the two of them decided to spend their time in his office, folding papers and doodling, or just reading, but sometimes she would tell the boy things of her homeland, and Link kept quiet as he wrote his things and just listened to her tales.

They did not fly; instead, they rode animals that were bigger than an average human as herself, animals she called horses. Sometimes, these horses pulled carts, which could be used to carry products, or carriages, to carry more people. And the boats, they were like canoes but much bigger, she had said, but it was so hard to imagine something like that, something that did not sink. “It is unbelievable, but I heard that one of the people invited to our wedding can glide over gaps with the help of birds that are much smaller than Shadow Kargaroks.” Robyn’s jaw fell open, and she went on, leaving him awed with every word that left her mouth.

And then the weather, how it changed. In Twilight, it was usually hot and dry, and sometimes it would rain for about a week or more, but in Hyrule the weather was unpredictable. There was drizzle, there were storms, there was snow, something he had never seen, and there were humid summer nights and impossibly dry spring mornings. She spoke of the winds as if she was familiar with them, and he could see in her eyes the color of the sky when a snowstorm was coming.

It was when she spoke like that, so passionately about the kingdom she left behind, that he wished that he had not been that much of an asshole and had agreed to move to Hyrule instead. What was there for him in Twilight anyway? The people did not like him, and that was reciprocated in most part, so that distance between both parts was much needed, but he had been a child and had not seen the perfect opportunity he had been given, presented to him on a silver platter. Now he was still stuck, and she was with him, unhappy and missing her home.

It did not make him pleased to know that she was not content here. Link would now cross the Mirror without giving it too much thought, just for her sake. Look at the unexpected turn things took, how much it all changed. His mother would be so proud, gushing to his aunts, her sisters, if they cared about the marriage, but they did not. Indeed, the environment was rather toxic for both of them; they would be better off on the other side, not thanks to her father, but thanks to the other people that made her feel wanted, the Zora in particular.

Link knew it was not of his concern, or maybe it used not to be back then when he did not care, but what had transpired between his wife and his father-in-law that caused them to grow this apart? He was not unfamiliar with bad relationships between parents and their children, or just relatives of the same bloodline, but it seemed that whatever it was that happened between them was rather severe, for Zelda did not feel comfortable in his presence and avoided talking to and about him at all costs. Link would ask if they were closer friends and still did not feel like they had just met, but at the same time he had a feeling she would not tell him such thing.

Now he wished they had started better. She had put some effort into their relationship, but he had not given it much thought. Now that he saw her for who she truly was, the caring, understanding, compassionate, and even fierce and defiant Hyrulean princess, Link knew they could have gotten along since the beginning. She was quiet because she was in a foreign place, like Midna had said then, surrounded by strangers, taken out of her home, married to a special stranger. If they had tried, if _he_ had tried, perhaps their little countryside trips could have happened over four months ago, the festival would have been much more enjoyable for them both, she would have not disappeared, nor would have almost died because she ate the wrong food.

The prince could beat himself up all day long. Beat himself up until twilight disappears from the skies, he could joke, but sometimes he felt bad and there was no denying, because he had grown to care.

In fact, he cared so much that it hurt him at times, when he stared at her for far too long and she had that little smile on her lips. He looked at her hands, so tender, running over the page of a book and cannot help but imagine it running through his hair, or her fingers entwined with his, like when they did when she found out the truth about his nature. It hurt when she looked at him, straight at him like she was staring into his soul, and her eyes conveyed no emotions, or too much of them. It hurt when she was quiet and distant because she needed some space, it hurt when she was talkative and radiant. When her eyes shone in glee, he sometimes thought one of the guards might have pierced a spear through his chest, and he had yet to see her on the verge of tears but he could already tell that would feel as if his life force had been drained away.

It hurt and it was confusing, and he had no one to turn to, because Midna would most certainly make it embarrassing before she decided to take him seriously, and his mother would not keep quiet for too long, so he had to deal with this different kind of pain on his own while his dear wife and Robyn folded cats and frogs in a corner of his office.

For most part, these feelings laid dormant through the day, and it was not until Zelda gave him a good enough of a reason that they showed up and his insides got all funny. It could be anything, a glance, a sharp breath, a quiet laugh, an accidental touch of their hands. Sometimes, she did not need to be close at all, he could be almost drifting off to sleep while supposedly doing his chores and suddenly remember her face – and then he was wide awake again, nearly sweating, as if afraid of being caught.

They were strange feelings he had to deal with on his own, never had he felt something akin to that to compare, and so he felt utterly lost. This pain, if he could really call it that, was not physical, and was not equal to the pain of losing loved ones. Perhaps it was a sickness; maybe Zelda brought with her another illness that was unheard of, and he caught it somehow. Surely, the doctors would know of something.

“Where are you going?” Robyn was the one to inquire when Link stood from his chair; Zelda looked up at him not two seconds later, and there it was that feeling again.

Link smiled almost apologetically at the kid before walking around his desk and towards the door. “I need some fresh air. I have been sitting here for far too long, my legs need some stretching as well.”

There were some guards making rounds around the castle, and he asked that at least one stayed by the door of his office in case Princess Zelda needed anything – or anything happened, she seemed to be like a magnet that attracted trouble to herself, either by staying quiet or by pursuing it, like when she thought it would be a great idea to wander into the woods after that stormy night weeks ago when they flew to the countryside.

Since then, they added some activities to their schedule, which they had not been practicing lately thanks to all the paperwork, but soon they would resume. Every afternoon before dinner, they would meet in the courtyard and Zelda would actually teach him how to fight better. She would correct his grip, his stance, and while he was stronger and faster, she still knew how to see all his openings and break his guard. He rarely won against her, and when he lost she did not rub it in his face, but his sister did it for her, of course. Link had much to learn, and he was glad they could bond through something they both enjoyed, to some extent.

“We should try archery,” his wife said once as she looked pensively at a basket filled with ripe apples sitting on the windowsill. “And see who has the best aim.”

At that he quirked an eyebrow, thinking it was too easy. “You are aware that I am a sorcerer and have pretty good aim, right?”

And she smirked almost deviously in return, “And you forgot I am the only one here who actually wielded a bow in my life.”

Link left the palace and made way to the same courtyard where they sparred, seeking peace and a bit of solitude. While he enjoyed being in their presence, he still liked being by himself sometimes to keep his emotions and control in check. Zelda had her moments when she needed to be alone as well; those times happened after Robyn returned to his home, because she could not bring herself to say that she needed some space when he was around, and before bedtime, when she would escape from the dining hall and flee to a dark corner of the library.

He had to wonder if she had a thing with books, if they reminded her of a friend that could not attend to their wedding, or if they simply provided distraction, because she spent way too much time in there. He wanted to ask if she stayed in her library in Hyrule that much as well; he had no doubts that she enjoyed reading, but she could take the books and read them elsewhere where the air was fresher and the lightning was better.

The prince sat on the grass, behind some bushes and far from the trees, away from sight of any possible passersby. The courtyard was empty and silent, all servants had finished their jobs there. He crossed his legs and relaxed his spine, breathed in deeply and closed his eyes. A nice, relaxing time to think was all he needed.

Talking about books, Link could read Hylian fluently by now, and write just as much, but speaking was still a bit complicated. He stumbled and stuttered, and knew that with the correct amount of practice, he would be fluent in that as well. Using the old encyclopedia and dictionary they owned, Link saved at least an hour of his day to pronounce random words, that most of the times were not random at all. Usually, he spoke Zelda’s name, his name, the names of the members of his family and hers, Zora people included; then he would practice words like please and thank you, good morning and good night, then more elaborated sentences. Link was pleased with his progress; he was putting so much effort into it.

It still baffled him to think that he was married, if he could be honest with himself. Since an early age, since he came to accept he would be different from everyone else, Link also came to accept the possibility that he would live most of his life without someone by his side. Of course, he could have married any other girl from the court, the daughter of a duchess perhaps, but maybe they would never be as understanding as Zelda. Maybe, they would never allow both he and Robyn into her life.

They were... Perfect for one another. Zelda had all the qualities he did not have, they balanced each other like no other, and it was unbelievable. He let the world know of all of his emotions while she concealed hers so quietly, and sometimes she did things on impulse, so he had to hold her back, though other times their roles were reversed. Maybe it was a Twili thing; all Twilis were much livelier compared to the Hyrulean folk, showed their emotions and thoughts more openly – except for Zant, he was a strange one, had always been. 

What a weird, weird pairing they were. Link never imagined he would like her this much.

Prince Link stood up and backtracked his steps after stretching, a new ounce of confidence added to his stride. Suddenly, he felt invincible, or close to it. The urge to blurt out the sudden realization that he harbored feelings for the Light Princess was strong, and he would let her know of it now, even if he had to grab Robyn by the shoulders and shove him out of the room, lock him outside and earn a glare from his wife. The confession would probably be rushed, followed by their first, and sloppy, real kiss, just a press of the lips because he was as clueless in this as she was. And if she did not reciprocate it, whatever, he just had to let her know, just had to get it out of his chest.

Because things would work out to her, she would be loved by all, even by him.

When he entered his office again after about fifteen minutes, hair disheveled and breathing uneven, no one was there.

* * *

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Post chapter notes:
> 
> \- I don't know if you noticed, but when Zelda realized she was falling for Link, the chapter was named Partial Eclipse. This one is called Totality, when Link too realizes he has feelings of some kind for her


	19. xviii: Eclipse Obscuration

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Greetings!
> 
> This last week I decided to watch old animoo from when I was a little kid; got caught up in it and didn't write much for this lmao but I might write fanfics of Cardcaptor Sakura/Tsubasa Chronicle, which I'm still watching whenever I can haha
> 
> I did, however, make up for it and wrote about 2,5k words in the last twenty four hours or so. Fourth Contact might just be the longest chapter so far, if not in the story, and it's not even done yet~
> 
> Another thing is that I should get an (unpaid) obligatory job for ~experience~ because uni demands it, but I hope it won'tget in the way of writing, at least
> 
> Well, enjoy!
> 
> sorry if I'm not around to speak with you when you need it, but I'll always be with you in spirit

* * *

**Eclipse Obscuration**

* * *

_ Eclipse obscuration is the fraction of the Sun’s area occulted by the Moon. It should not be confused with eclipse magnitude, which is the fraction of the Sun’s diameter occulted by the Moon. Eclipse obscuration may be expressed as either a percentage or a decimal fraction (e.g., 50% or 0.50). _

* * *

Link stood stunned at the doorstep of his office for a couple of seconds, trying to grasp the sight that welcomed him. He had been so sure that his wife would be there, in the last spot he had seen her, that now that she was not he felt a little more than just simply lost. He felt broken and, for reason the prince could not quite understand, betrayed.

Walking inside allowed his heart to calm and the buzz in his ears to fade. In no time, he could push his emotions aside to think clearly again and analyze the situation he was in: desperate to confess feelings he could not control or comprehend, and feeling out of place now that he had to deal with her sudden disappearance once more, though he doubted she had gone too far. The papers and carefully folded crafts were still on the table, and pillows could still be warm from their heat. Surely, their departure had not been planned. Perhaps, Zelda and Robyn had been summoned by his mother for tea before dinner, or something of the like.

He picked the swan she had made earlier and placed it by his quill holder before he reclaimed his seat on his chair, a long, exhausted breath leaving him as his muscles molded into the leather. By now, he had about twenty documents left to go through, and even though all his motivation had been drained away, Link promised himself he would be done with them by the time someone came to call him down for supper, so he dipped the tip of his quill into the inkpot and resumed his work.

It was hard to focus thanks to a poor night of sleep and being caught out of guard upon his return, but he managed somehow. He doubted he would do a better job if he had found her there and had confessed. Alternating between muffled yawns and rubbing the inner corner of his eyes, and sometimes leaning back on his chair to stare off into space for half a minute to recollect his wandering thoughts, the prince read and signed each one of the papers, though he skimmed through the text when it was too long and he just did not feel like it.

At some point, he leaned back on his chair and snoozed off for about fifteen minutes, only one document left in his to-do pile. Though he slept for just a short period of time, it was enough for him to dream. He dreamed of her. Of her and her Zora friend, the young heir of the throne, seeming slightly taller now. Looking from a bird’s-eye view, Link saw as his wife approached the young Zora prince, how he latched himself onto her and wept onto her shoulder, how she held him tightly and held back her tears to seem strong. That was expected of her; he did not think she would cry, not even in front of people she knew for so long and loved so dearly, not even if she was happy, not even for a good reason.

Gradually, his dream shifted to nothing, just an empty scenery with a black background, but what got him the most was that he could feel the heat. It was so hot and _real_ that it jerked him awake, sweat dripping down his brow. Link wiped it away with the sleeves of his tunic and gasped for breath, eyes wide and unfocused. He whirled his chair around to catch the breeze of the evening that was entering his office, his throat suddenly felt parched, as if he had not drank in days, and his eyes were incredibly watery. What a contrast. He rubbed his closed eyelids vigorously with the heels of his hands, took deep breaths in until his pulse had settled down, and stretched his legs because they, too, felt so tired like he had walked miles without stopping.

Weird, was the only thing that crossed his mind as he touched his fingers to his chapped lips, and turned around again to finish the last of the documents, a small one thankfully. As he placed the quill in its holder and stretched his arms, still thinking of about the strange dream he just had, there was a knock on his door, and he knew dinner was served. It seemed he would have to wait until bedtime to talk to Zelda.

Link called the servant before she could leave and asked her if she happened to know where his wife headed off to, and indeed, Queen Elliét had summoned her. Sadly, she did not know anything else regarding that, so the prince would have to be content with the information he had so far until either Zelda herself or his mother gave away more details, which he doubted any of them would do. Last time, Zelda only shared some of what she knew because she was gone for a day and everyone tried to hide it from him so he would not destroy the castle – which he did in the end, anyway.

Nor Zelda or Robyn were present in the dining hall. Zant was already hiding behind the chair and Midna had flinched when the door slid open with his arrival. “Where is she?” He inquired once he noticed the vacant seats, the air around him shifting drastically, his blood seemed to be on fire. How many times would she disappear without previous warning? How many times would he wake up to find out she was gone? He felt angry at himself, and feared for her safety – a dangerous mix.

Both his sister and her husband looked at the queen, who had managed to maintain a calm façade given the circumstances and was currently sipping some peach tea as if nothing was happening. “Not here.”

“Then where?” The sounds coming from the kitchen ceased and they knew that the cooks were leaving through the back door to avoid being caught in the crossfire of Link’s rage. A wise idea, Zant thought to himself. Elliét remained silent, which only boosted his anger, making his brother-in-law’s hairs stand on end. “Where. Is. She.”

Midna took in a sharp trembling breath, sliding down on her seat so much that she could easily hide under the table if needed. “Mother!”

“She is not here anymore!” Tea was spilled over the table as she lowered the cup forcefully, her voice breaking, and Link once again felt disoriented, his anger dissipating and being replaced by confusion. “She is in Hyrule, where she is needed!” His only comfort was that the other two Twilis present were shocked by the news as well, so he was not the last one to know as it usually was. “She crossed the mirror... I am sorry.”

“Wha... What about Robyn?” Midna asked in a hushed tone after finding some of her composure.

Elliét shook her head slowly and tiredly. “She... Took him with her. His grandfather let him go, knew how much he wanted to... See the other side...”

“Why?” The three of them looked at Link, who was still standing by the door, and looked very much like he could crumble at any second. “Why did she leave?”

“A messenger came from Hyrule not too long before I summoned her.” His mother started, fingers incessantly playing with the table towel to keep them occupied. “Queen Rutela is terribly ill. From what they let on, it is terminal, though I cannot confirm this for I did not read the letter. Zelda went with the messenger immediately, only waiting to ask Robyn’s grandfather for permission to take him along.” A sigh and she lowered her head dreadfully. “I do not know when she will return... Or if she will return at all.”

Zant’s gaze flickered towards Link by the end of the sentence, but it seemed the prince was too tired to fully grasp the meaning of the words. With his feet dragging on the floor, he made his way to the table and pulled a hair for him to seat, resting his cheek on a closed fist and staring at the wall in contemplation. Time ticked by and slowly the cooks returned to the kitchen if the sounds of clinking metal meant anything, but the members of the Royal Family had now lost their appetite and would not eat that night much probably. Midna played with a decorative ring around her finger, already finding odd a life without the Light Princess by their side. She could only imagine how it would be when Zelda took her brother with her.

“That day when she left to go to the lake,” Link started, talking low, almost as if musing to himself, “you did not let me throw that painting out the window. Why?”

The other man present knew he was being talked to, but he was surprised that the prince remembered such thing to begin with. Usually, Link did not remember much of what happened during his outburst, or he simply pretended not to, they could not tell. “The painting in the library?” Link confirmed with a nod of his head, and Zant looked at Elliét, who immediately avoided his gaze and turned her torso away, one arm crossed.

“What do you know that I don’t?”

Midna looked between her brother and husband, then at her mother who wanted to hide behind her now empty cup. “What is going here?” The queen closed her eyes and turned her head further to the side, Zant caught Link’s heated gaze, and the future ruler slammed a fist on the table, finally fed up with all their actions. “We’ve had enough secrets to deal with already! Now’s the time to sort things out!” Her eyes seemed aflame as they focused on the duke, who lifted his hands up as if in surrender. “Start speaking! Now!”

“It seems,” Zant started in a surprisingly calm tone, “that the painting depicts a place from Hyrule known as Lake Hylia, according to Princess Zelda, which I assume is the place that she goes to pray every year.” Midna and Link shared a glance, and he went on. “It also seems that it was painted by her mother, Queen Rosenna, if her signature at the bottom means anything. I wonder how the painting got here, don’t you too, Queen Elliét?”

Zant turned his head towards his mother-in-law, and she in turn looked back at him with an annoyed expression, her fingers gripping her own arm tightly. “Mother...?” It was her son speaking now, hesitantly asking her what it meant.

Elliét placed the teacup down once more and fixed the black scarf around her to provide more coverage. “Yes, I knew Queen Rosenna. We were friends, once.” The room got silent, all eyes on her as she spoke. “She attended to our wedding and painted us that lovely thing when I was pregnant with Midna as a gift.” She paused, then sniffed, and rolled her shoulders as she continued. “But as she was being courted she grew distant. She didn’t invite us to her wedding, I didn’t see Zelda when she was just a baby, but she saw Midna when she was a newborn. I only heard that she passed away weeks after she had been buried...”

The Twilight Princess stood up to comfort her mother who was on the verge of tears, whilst her husband turned away from the sight, finding it uncomfortable to see and not wanting to invade her privacy. Link on the other hand, just sat there baffled that there was so much more to this marriage than just marriage. It was not just two people from two different races that had grudges tying a knot to try and make things better; there were secrets he was not aware of, secrets Zelda was not aware of, and apparently there were things not even his mother was aware of. There were too many secrets and maybe too many lies in one contract signed twenty years ago.

There had to be someone who knew all of the truth, but who? The late queen of Hyrule was out of question. Perhaps Queen Rutela? Zelda’s father would never open up to him, not to mention that the man irked Link to the point that he would rather not be in his presence if he had the chance.

Link stood up resolutely, attracting stares in his direction. His mother wiped tears from her eyes with a napkin, and he said while looking unwavering at her. “I’m going after her.”

Elliét must have choked in her own saliva, so it was Midna who objected when their mother could not. “Link, this is insane!” He raised his chin at her, and her brow furrowed further. “You can’t go, you don’t know there!”

“I’ll search for her, no problem.”

“What about the sun?” Zant inquired, looking at him as if he had sprouted wings suddenly and grown a pair of Shadow Kargarok’s heads. “You will die if you get exposed to it for a second.”

He set his jaw, wheels turning in his mind as he studied the skittish man with a critical eye. “I can find heavy robes. And your riding helmet will provide just enough coverage and protection for my head.”

The queen stood from her chair then, which almost toppled over in her rush, and she held her son’s face in her hands from across the table, tears brightening up her crimson eyes. “Link, please, wait for your father to return.” She was sobbing, shaking, lips trembling as she forced air through them. He had never seen his mother like that, and it was an unsettling sight, but he had to be strong and go on with this. “He made portals, he can teleport you to the castle! The king, her father, can take you to where she is...!” Link was gentle as he took her hands away from his face, though the action only made her tear up more. “Link, please...”

His head shook from side to side, eyes closed. “Forgive me, mother.” He took a few steps back to increase the distance between them. “This is something I must do. She is my wife, I am her husband. If I am not there when she needs, what good am I for her?”

“But Link, this is dangerous!” Midna intervened again, growing more exasperated by the second. “You can _die._ What good will you be for her if you’re dead?”

He gave her a dirty look, “I’m not dying. I can make it through, I can find her.”

“Link–”

“Link needs to do this.” Zant said aloud for all to hear. That silenced the trio before they could get into an argument about his poorly thought choices. “She learned of his true nature, she accepts him for who he is. And he finally learned to accept her.” Link thanked him silently with a nod for standing up for him. Who would think he would be supported by him? “Even if it’s suicidal, or whatever you want to call it, he needs to do it. For Zelda, and for himself.”

Both mother and daughter looked at the young prince, still torn between keeping him safe and letting him go. Both understood the consequences of letting him do what he wanted, and both recognized that all they wanted was for him to finally open up to the Hylian and willingly go after her – but not like this, not when he had to cross an entire kingdom by foot to reach her. None of them had ever crossed the mirror; none of them knew what waited for him on the other side. Their hands were tied.

Elliét breathed in deeply and licked her lips before speaking. “Very well.” Link did not smile, but it did not escape her the way his eyes brightened up. “Zant, go get your helmet. Midna, get the sorceress. Link... Pack your bags.”

He had never ran so fast in his life. He was the first to leave, bolting out the room in a blur of black and grey, heading to his chambers as fast as his feet could carry him. He needed not pack anything, though perhaps taking a few water canteens and fresh fruits would be a wise idea considering he did not know where he would land, but aside from that, all he truly needed was layers and layers of robes and tunics and pants and the only pair of boots he owned and never wore to protect his skin from the sun. During the night, Link guessed it was fine to walk around without the helmet at least, but he would have to deal with the sweat during the day.

And then, something kicked in, something he could not understand nor describe showed up from the depths of his mind. His hands itched, his feet pushed him further, and somewhere he felt a desperate longing, threatening to rip through his chest. His first instinct was to throw himself on his hands and stop, or run, and the prince bit his tongue when he noticed a growl forming within his throat. Link grit his teeth, dug his nails into his palms, and run faster, away from whatever was trying to reach him, away from that foreign desire to be in Hyrule.  

All of Zelda’s things were still in their room where she last left them, untouched. He entered his closet and in a matter of seconds, his few clothes were a heap mess on the floor, and he was looking through them to find pieces that would cover enough skin. A linen shirt, one long coat, pants and the boots he had not worn since he was sixteen, which were too small for his feet but they would have to do, and a pair of gloves some noble gave him as gift not too long ago that he did not bother using because, one, he did not want to, and two, he did not like the noble. Link exited his closet and stared at himself in her full body mirror for a while before hurriedly leaving the bedroom as well, heading for the Mirror Chamber, an empty room with nothing but the Mirror of Twilight and the Portal Stone.

His mother was there with Midna and the sorceress, a tall, skinny woman with an eerie smile plastered on her face, her long nails scratching lightly the smooth surface of her see-through crystal ball. “Anria, if you would please show him where Princess Zelda and Robyn currently are,” Queen Elliét said with a vague wave of her hand, still reluctant to let him go.

“Of course, Your Majesty,” the sorceress replied, dragging the letters R and S more than needed and sounding like a snake, which made him shudder. Placing a hand on each side of the ball, she concentrated for a brief moment until it was not clear anymore and was instead filled with purple fog, and once she was content, she circled a hand above it, closing it into a fist and successfully trapping the mist among her fingers. Link stood still like a rock as she walked in his direction and, without warning, all but slapped her now open hand on his left temple, herking his head to the side and allowing the visions to enter his mind.

He saw Zelda sitting atop a big animal, riding towards an unknown destination while holding tight to the man sitting before her. Next to her was another horse and another man, and a figure covered from head to toe in clothing, whom he guessed was Robyn. Nothing gave away much of her location, only that the ground was pure stone and that the walls surrounding them were of the same material. It was too dark to see anything else other than that. He felt something tugging at his heart when he saw her hands on the man, something bad.

Elliét was twisting her scarf in her hands when her son opened his eyes again. “So?”

Link breathed out, a bead of sweat trickling down his face. “I have no idea where that is.” That was to be expected, still his mother showed disappointment. He doubted even his father would know where that place was exactly, especially given that the last time he had visited Hyrule was two decades ago, and they did not know just how big the kingdom was exactly.

Zant entered the Mirror Chamber shortly after, donning his big chameleon looking helmet on his head, a mailbag with supplies for the trip and another one of his long coats draped over his shoulder. “I brought this,” he passed on the piece of clothing to the prince, urging him to get dressed. It was big enough to fit two Links inside, but it would provide extra coverage and it never hurt to be careful. Next, Link put on the helmet, which was not as heavy as it seemed, and the holes for the eyes were closed with a faded grey glass. He supposed it would come in handy in the bright light of Hyrule and would protect his vision.

He wasted no time to climb the few steps up to the mirror that was already working, and projecting shiny spinning light onto the Portal Stone located across from it, revealing the layers that would provide passage to the other realm. Twili marks shone on the outer surface, Ancient Hylian appeared in the deeper layers, and at the end layer there was the figure of a Triforce. It was then that it clicked in his head why Zelda drew the outlines of triangles on her forehead and bosom when she was praying. He had never connected the dots.

Link walked around the mirror and closer to the portal, then looked back at his family. His mother was teary eyed, but was trying to put a strong, composed front. “Try not to get lost!” Midna called out for him, blinking away the tears in her eyes and internally cursing that he was seeing her like that.

“We’ll come to visit!” He responded, a grin on his face, and nodded to Zant, who in turn made a salute.

The prince stepped before the light after taking a calming breath. His body decomposed into hundreds of Twilight particles and were sucked inside the portal in a spiral, vanishing from sight. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Post chapter notes:
> 
> \- /grabs you by the waist while wearing a leather jacker and cool sunglasses/ we're going to Hyrule, babe
> 
> \- I thought it would be funny that, for one to see the vision in the crystal ball, they should get slapped on the temple idk
> 
> \- also yay for more mysteries and whatnot that will get out of control


	20. xix: Eye Safety

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey!
> 
> I got a 3DS as a belated birthday gift from a dear friend, and I spent the last two weeks playing Animal Crossing and A Link Between Worlds. Despite that, I did write more, but it seems I got stuck, or rather, it seems some things sound a bit rushed. It'll be fixed, of course!
> 
> But the ending of the next chapter tho /clutches heart
> 
> Enjoooyyy!
> 
> s c r e a m s I miss u

* * *

**Eye Safety**

* * *

__ The only time that the Sun can be viewed safely with the naked eye is during a total eclipse, when the Moon completely covers the disk of the Sun. It is never safe to look at a partial or annular eclipse, or the partial phases of a total solar eclipse, without the proper equipment and techniques. Even when 99% of the Sun's surface (the photosphere) is obscured during the partial phases of a solar eclipse, the remaining crescent Sun is still intense enough to cause permanent retinal damage, especially when viewed through binoculars or other optical aids. _   
_

* * *

He was conscious throughout all of it. At some point, all of the Twilight particles reunited and his material body was whole again, and he was facing the way he had come. The walls of the portal were black like the monolith, and the Twili marks gradually changed to Ancient Hylian as he fell to the other exit. The door he had taken glowed like the sky during the twilight hour, with hues of orange and pink and pruple, and the prince turned around to see what waited for him on the other side: pitch black with luminous dots.

To him it felt like he was there for two minutes, but he knew the trip did not last more than just a couple of seconds. Just as his body was back, it exploded into black pieces again as he approached the darkness, and whirled their way out of the portal, landing between another Portal Stone and an exact copy of the Mirror of Twilight. The light faded away, and so did the layers that appeared on the stone, and Link found himself alone in the dark in the middle of somewhere. The prince pulled out some hairs from his head and let them turn into the particles, which then shot up towards the sky and would later allow him to teleport.

Link walked closer to the right wall where a lit torch was perched onto the stone and took hold of it, using it to illuminate the way. He had no idea where he was; judging by the breeze, he was not underground, but he did not know how far up he was either. He walked with his free hand touching the wall, and accompanied it until he could find a door or passage. He walked through a hallway, its outer wall had evenly spaced arches that faced the darkness outside, and rounded the corner, going left and down some steps. There was indeed a staircase that led to inside a well lit room, a bridge that connected the outside to a large pillar in the middle and no barriers to hold him if he fell. He inched closer to the edge and peeked down below; he was far too high.

Around said pillar were more steps taking him to the lower floor. He decided to take off his helmet once he was on solid ground, and not on high places without proper safety; he did not know if he would be able to stop the fall on time and hoped he would not fall to begin with. Before he went down, he noticed the hole at the center a couple of feet from where he stood, but did not give it much thought and went on ahead. It was a long way down, some of the steps threatened to give away under his feet, and Zelda had probably walked down all of these with as much care, but with more patience. Every time he glanced down and considered purposefully jumping towards the next set waiting for him below.

The door at the bottom led him to another room with more stairs, but now instead of walking around a pillar, he would have to walk around the room, following its round wall. This one was trickier because some steps were missing, it was not as well lit, and there was another pit waiting for him if he slipped. Link really could not tell if the place was built that way without safety railings or if by now it was so deteriorated that all things that guaranteed the safety of its visitors broke and turned to dust, but he felt like he could die if he took one wrong step. He hoped to find out soon what the real purpose of that building was.

The floor at the bottom of the room was covered in two inches of sand; Link did not know what to think of that. He headed over to the exit carefully until he was walking on firm stone again, his torch flickering in the dark. There would be many doors and entrances to check, so he decided to go a straight line first to see what he would find at the end, and after walking for more ten minutes, going down a shorter, non-spiral staircase, and walking for fifteen minutes more, the prince ended up in a room mostly covered in sand that swirled down in some places, as if going down a drain. On the other side, steps led up to an open door, which he decided he would check.

Link was outside, and he hoped this was the last set of stairs he would have to see in a while. He went down and crossed the sand, walked until he was close to an abandoned camping site. It was not as abandoned as it seemed, though. He came to that conclusion as he ventured through it and saw a boar being roasted over a small campfire... But if he were quick enough to steal one of its legs and flee, no one would not blame him for it.

Soon the camp was left behind him as the prince walked down a path surrounded by tall stone walls and jumped off the ledge onto the enormous sea of sand that stretched on and waited for him. Link put out the fire to blend in the shadows when he noticed lookout towers not too far ahead, then decided to head right and once he was satisfied with the distance he put between them he slowed down to a stop.

He stashed away his torch, took off his helmet, and took a bite of the boar leg he stole from the camping site. He would rather save his apples and oranges to another hour when he truly needed them, besides the meat was still warm. Now walking while holding this big helmet of Zant’s would be more annoying than challenging, but it was an important item in his quest. Link quickly finished off his meal, threw the bone to the side, took a small sip of his water, and cleaned his sticky fingers on the robe lent by his brother-in-law – he would remember to wash it before returning it, maybe – and resumed walking.

With a snap of his fingers, he lit a quick fire on his torch and walked. And walked, and walked. The sand was interminable, he did not seen an end to it, and felt like he would have to walk for the rest of his life. As time ticked by, the air grew colder and the winds harsh, and the flame danced wildly every time the wind blew. Already, his legs felt tired, but Link knew that he had not been walking for more than five hours. He had done longer hikes, walked for longer periods of time back in Twilight Realm, but the soft and deep sand did not help at all.

The prince stopped more than a few times, tried hard not to drink too much of his water in one sip, and fought to catch his breath in less than two minutes because the less he walked, the more the distance between him and Zelda increased. And he still had no idea how to get from where he was currently to where she was going, wherever it was.

After his fifth pause, things started to change. The temperature was mild and the blackness of the sky was dissipating, the dots, the stars, things he had never seen in his life before, were starting to fade away. Link put out the fire once again and put on his helmet, holding his breath and standing still, bracing himself for the incoming light. Thoughts raced in his head, his heart beating fast; Link could only fist his hands and wait for it, it was now or never, he would either survive or die. He swallowed, and waited.

Finally, the sun was up, crawling its way over the line on the horizon.

He stared at the floor, waiting for a searing, mind numbing, blinding pain.

Nothing happened.

Link let out a sigh of relief, and then chuckled in disbelief, whirling around to face the first sunrise of his life. Colors painted the sky and he smiled like a fool, cheeks hurting, and eyes shining, laughing histerically. The plan worked and he was safe, it even gave him a boost and he went onwards for the next hour without complaining, stealing glimpses at the sky ever so often. He wanted to find shade, take off the helmet and look up without the lenses to paint the landscape grey. He wanted to see the true colors. He wanted to see what Zelda saw. It was beautiful, he did not know how else to describe.

Skip to two hours later, and the appeal of it all faded. It was too hot to bear, he was sweating, there were no trees, and under the sun he could not take his helmet off to have a drink. The sand was burning the soles of his feet through his boots, on top of it all. The prince was nearly dragging his feet by the time he made it to the rocks that surrounded the area, and he almost melted against them when he saw no exit nearby. With no other option in hand, he could only pick a direction and walk forward until he was graced with something. He picked left, gloved fingertips dragging over the rough surface.

The heat and his parched throat were doing things to him. His eyes could barely remain open, his legs were threatening to give out, he felt incredibly drowsy, not to mention thirsty and overly spent. His mind was swimming, he felt lost and could not concentrate. His tongue often licked his own chapped lips and he swallowed his saliva hoping it would help in any way, but even his mouth felt completely dry. His legs ached, and it hurt for him to breathe for the hot air around him seemed to burn his nostrils.

Link was sure he was going to die then and there, and no one would find him because the sand would cover his body, no one would ever know. He should have heard his mother and waited for his father. Regret was not something he felt very often, but now it hit him with full force. All he wanted was to help his wife, and he could not do it if he was not breathing and lying limply in the middle of nowhere. He did not know if his eyes were suddenly watery because of the temperature or because of his imminent dea–

His hand gave in, falling into an empty space, and his weary body nearly followed. Link turned to find an alcove, a lit torch on the wall, and the sentiment of hope rekindled inside his chest. The prince quickly fled the light and heat, seeking the coolness of the shadows, and once he was far enough inside, he quickly shed all extra layers off, gasping for air as if he was being suffocated. He finished off his first canteen of water (he had other two filled to the brim) and allowed himself to sit on the floor and cool down for some minutes, breath in and out, and calm down, sweat dripping down the curve of his chin and trickling its way between his eyes.

Most of the time he was sitting on the cave floor was spent looking at his boot clad feet and trying to come to terms with the fact that he had _almost died out there_. Although he did not want to think of it and just wanted to forget and keep moving, Link had to admit he was scared and could not brush it aside as if it was nothing. “It’s okay,” he told himself, voice raspy from not being used in a while, “It’s okay.”

His trembling fingers touched his limbs, whole and intact, and unharmed. The sun did not hurt him, the clothes really did work. He was out of that hellhole now, and if he survived that, he could survive anything. Link remained sitting on the dusty ground until the shakiness of his body was barely noticeable, and finally decided to stand and go on.

The cave was dark, filled of twists and turns and splitting paths. There was not one that led straight ahead, so he always had to pick a direction to follow, and being who he was, he decided to pick left just because that was his dominant hand. It was a treacherous road, with holes he needed to walk around, and pits that had to be crossed by walking a plank. Sometimes the inclined path took him down, other times up. His ears twitched when animals squeaked in the dark or flapped their wings, but the fire of his torch kept them at bay.

At this pace, he would never reach her in time. His legs were in too much pain and he felt overwhelmed with emotions. If giving up was an option in his mind, he would have lied down on the floor three turns behind and surrendered himself to sleep and despair. Perhaps, Link had just done what Midna told him not to do: get lost. He had landed on somewhere foreign and wandered about aimlessly; he had been right of his actions up until he spotted the lookout towers, after that, he was not so sure anymore.

Whatever waited for him at the end could not be worse than what he just had gone through. Link would walk for a week or more to find her if it meant that he would have fresh water nearby and trees to hide when the heat got too unbearable. Maybe one of these big animals of hers would be helpful, but he would go the distance on his knees if needed. On all fours, crawling on the floor if the Golden Goddesses decided to prove they were real and whispered in his ear that it was their desire. He would walk around blindly and not ask for any directions from strangers if it meant he was doing the right thing.

When he finally emerged from the cave, climbing up through a hole in the ground, it felt like an eternity had passed and the sun was close to setting. Relief washed over him when he saw lush canopy above and grass under his feet. Link lied on his back on the grassy clearing and allowed part of his weariness to dissipate and be absorbed into the soil whilst he sighed and repressed the yawns threatening to escape. If it were safe, he would sleep right where he was, but he would go miles without rest just to get closer to Zelda, wherever she was.

Link stayed there until he felt like his legs could carry him for a little longer and decided to go after a water source, which was somewhere south if his hearing was not deceiving him. So south he went, passing by another clearing where the ground was bare and some trees were shorter than others, naked of any leaves, and entered another tunneled cave, which was thankfully much shorter than the one he had been walking for the last couple of hours. At the end, he passed by an open gate and glanced right at a hut with no one nearby; if it was truly uninhabited, perhaps he could return later to spend the night. He kept going, because the sound of running water was louder now, and just ahead after the turn.

He was not expecting to find four kids there, three of them playing with sticks as if they were swords.

They looked at him first in shock, then in fright and scampered away to the south exit, screaming loud and leaving behind the only boy who was not playing with them. The listless expression on his face disappeared as he stared at him with wide blue eyes, back flat against the rock behind him, and Link swallowed his thirst before speaking. “Hey, kid.” When the boy initially shook his head slowly then quicker, brows furrowing and looking visibly scared, Link realized he was supposed to speak Hylian. He tried again. “Do you understand me now?” A nod; well, it seemed all his studying paid off. “Is there an adult I can speak with?”

“The... There’s my father...”

“Would you mind taking me to him?” The boy was hesitating, so he elaborated. “I need to get somewhere, and I am not from here. I am lost.” Actually, he needed some other things like water, food, maybe a bath and a place to sleep without worry of being attacked by the unknown.

He nodded again, hesitantly inching away from the stone. “T-This way.”

The prince sighed in relief and walked after him, hoping his father could help him in some way and not... Run away and scream. Link was aware he looked like quite the scene with Zant’s helmet on his head, but his regular appearance would not help much either. At least, this one stayed and was helpful. “What is your name?”

The blond boy was silent for a moment before replying in a shy voice. “Colin.”

“Colin,” Link mused. Reminded him of Robyn, who was now with Hyrule’s princess somewhere out there out of his reach. “Thank you for your help, Colin.”

They crossed a hanging bridge. Link chanced a glimpse down at the pit below and made a face; it seemed Hyrule and Twilight were not as different as they sounded, given the obvious differences, of course. They passed by another spring, the running water making him salivate and wishing he could drink all of it, and walked through two others clearings, one of which had a vacant tree house on the far right. Colin led him to the path on the left, and just as Link spotted houses by a stream, he also spotted a man coming in their direction – and the kids were there in the center of the village, surrounded by adults who he supposed were their parents.

Link noticed how the man’s blond hair and blue eyes matched the ones of the child’s, but not only that, he recognized something else: the man himself. “I know you.”

The man halted, hand on the hilt of his sword and a cautious look on his face. “Excuse me?”

“You were at my wedding.”  

Colin’s father frowned and motioned for his son to come closer, but the boy remained where he was, looking between the two of them with a confused frown. “I’m afraid I don’t understand.” His voice held some disbelief. “The last wedding I attended to was–”

“Princess Zelda’s.” Link finished for him and moved his hands away from his body so he could wave them to his own torso. “I am her husband, Prince Link of Twilight Realm. I am looking for her.”

* * *

Link was taken to the mayor’s house, Bo, who had also attended to his wedding and had a daughter of his own. Everyone in the little village wanted to come closer and whispered as Rusl, he came to learn, escorted him to the house where the mayor was coming out from with a sword in his hand. The prince could hear every once in a while as the kids tried to peek through the windows, but they had closed the curtains to make it safer for him to take off his helmet and most of his clothing, including the boots. He was given a basin of water to wash his hands and face, and then fresh water was served so he could quench his thirst.

Ilia, Bo’s daughter, was doing quite a fine job in not staring for too long and was currently preparing pumpkin soup for him. They had apologized many times for its simplicity, but he did not care if it was the most gourmet thing in the world or not; he was starving, and the smell of the soup was making his stomach growl. Link never really cared if what was given him was prepared with finesse; he cared if it was food and preferably not poisoned.

They sat together in the rectangular table for four people, and he hoped no one could hear the sounds coming from his gut.

Bo was a bald, big man whose eyes appeared to be closed all the time. Link wondered how he got the white horns to be stuck on his cheek. “Pray tell me, Prince Link, what’re ye doing in Hyrule by yerself?”

The man spoke quickly and had a heavy accent; it took him a while to understand. “Princess Zelda received urgent news that Queen Rutela is ill. She left immediately upon notice.”

“You crossed Gerudo Desert by yerself!?” The mayor seemed to be quite impressed in his abilities, and honestly so was he.

“If by Gerudo Desert you mean that sandpit in which I almost died, then yes, I did.” Link took a deep gulp of his water again; just talking about that place made him thirsty.

Rusl intervened, leaning forward slightly. “I’m sorry to be the one to tell you this, but,” the prince gave him his undivided attention, hardly blinking and sitting straighter, “We are at the southernmost region of Hyrule. Zora’s Domain is located in the northernmost.”

His shoulders dropped and disappointment must have shown clearly on his face for both men looked away as if to give him privacy. Link glanced down at his hands, loosely curled his fingers inwards, and Ilia approached with a bowl full of steaming pumpkin soup, which she placed before him with a silver spoon on the side. “Would you like some goat cheese?”

The prince looked at her to reply and smiled as politely as he could. “No, thank you.” Ilia dipped her head, hands wringing before her navel, and backed away to leave them alone.

Link was stirring his meal to help it cool quickly when Colin’s father spoke up again. “We were heading for Zora’s Domain.” Striking blue eyes focused on him, they were feral and wild, unfitting of a prince. “We can go earlier if you’d like, the day after tomorrow.”

“Yes,” he did not hesitate to reply. The need to see his wife was too much for him to find his way on his own, so he would take the chance and accept their help. “I would like that.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Post chapter notes:
> 
> \- Well, now I know I'm majoring in architecture, but trying to describe the insides of Arbiter's Grounds is difficult
> 
> \- Y'know, I wanted to make Link purposefully say things incorrectly because Hylian is not his first language, but then I thought you'd think I wrote things wrong so I scrapped the idea


	21. xx: Fourth Contact

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hey!
> 
> I've encountered a few issues these past days. I decided to delay the update so I could post it earlier today, but a very unpleasant surprise required most of my attention this afternoon and evening. Chapters will now take longer to be updated because things will get more serious at uni, and other things as well. I just feel really demotivated, I can't quite explain. This makes me stop and wonder if I should take the story in the direction I was previously going for, or if I should change my plans entirely. Either way, updates will be slow for I don't have any more finished chapters.
> 
> I hope you can understand that. I'm sorry.

* * *

**Fourth Contact**

* * *

__The instant when the partial phase of an eclipse ends._ _

* * *

Ordon was a little village in the valley, cut in the middle by a stream of water, with modest colored roofed houses all around. Every home had a patch of growing pumpkins somewhere, but only one had a watermill that spun lazily on the hot summer day. Up the road he was told there was a ranch with goats and horses, the latter being creatures he had yet to see. He could hear the kids running outside and sometimes still trying to look inside the mayor’s house hoping to see more of him, but he willingly hid in the darkest corner he could find.

Link had been given a bed in the upper floor, a secluded space that smelled oddly feminine so he could only guess that it was Ilia’s bed. He was unconscious the moment his head touched the pillow and woke up many hours later, near midday. Alone in the house, he allowed himself to have some water and a piece of a loaf of bread that seemed freshly baked, and then scurried away to the farthest shadow he could find. The experience of travelling in the desert alone left him shaken; the beautifulness of the sunrise would only serve as a reminder of a dark time until he witnessed it under another light.

He hugged his legs to his chest, feeling the soles of his feet press on the cool wood floor. His experience in Hyrule was being unique, to say so, so far. He at least hoped Robyn was having the chance to make most of it, given the circumstances, and that he could appreciate the scenery without fearing for his life.

The front door opened, and he shrunk deeper into the shadow, a place he did not want to leave so soon. He watched through the gaps of the furniture as Ilia, the blonde, green eyed daughter of Bo, entered the house with a basket balanced on her hips and set it on the table before she set to placing the oranges on a bowl. She hesitated halfway through it, glancing up at the ceiling, then moved silently towards the stairs, going up a few stairs.

Her gasp was audible.

Ilia rushed up the last couple of steps, and he heard as she threw the blankets aside. “Prince Link!?” She sounded worried, distressed even given the way she breathed, so he quickly crawled out of his hiding place at the back of the kitchen and went to the staircase. Ilia was coming down when he reached her, eyes startled and wide, and scared. “Prince Lin– Ah!”

Link raised his hands in surrender, and she fell on her backside on the stairs after being caught out of guard by the same man she was looking for. “Forgive me.” One of her hands was pressed firmly to her chest as if it could slow down her heart. “I did not mean to scare you.”

“Well, but you did!” Her hands gripped the railing for support and in seconds she was on her feet again. “When I didn’t hear you snoring, I went to check on you.”

“My snoring is really that bad?” He quirked an eyebrow and whistled. “I can only imagine how my wife feels.” Then he scratched the back of his head and stepped back to let her pass. “I hope I let you sleep this last night.”

Ilia was back to piling the oranges on the bow, and upon closer inspection he noticed she brought more vegetables with her. “I’m already used to father’s, so it really didn’t bother me much.” She threw a smile his way then focused on the task at hand. “Did you sleep well?”

“Oh, yes!” Link nodded, pulling a chair across from her so he could seat down. “Just what I needed after a day of walking if you ask me. Better your bed than the sand.” She only smiled again. Ilia probably already knew that he did not want to talk about that, not with them anyway. He was not sure if he would disclose that to his family, especially his mother, but Zelda... Zelda would understand it.

Fingertip running over the metal band around his finger, the prince stared at his hands as he thought of her, something he promised he would have done before bed but did not have the time to. She was safe, he told himself, of course she was, surrounded by guards in her own land, Zelda was safer than he was that was for sure, but until he met with her he could not rest. Link needed to see her and then maybe he would finally calm.

“You’ll reunite with her soon,” Ilia reassured with a meaningful glance before picking up the basket and moving to the counter on the left. “What’s it like to be married to the Princess of Hyrule?”

“I... Never thought I would have to explain it.” He laughed shortly, right hand wrapping around his left fingers. “She was quiet in the beginning, still is if you don’t make an effort to speak with her. She is funny in her own ways, very wise and curious, adventurous as well, Zelda seems to enjoy seeking trouble.”

The girl returned to table with a small bowl, a peeler, a knife and washed carrots in hand, and claimed the seat across from his. “I heard stories that she sneaked around when she was a child, but not that she looked for trouble.”

As she began peeling the carrots and placing the skin on the bow, Link decided to help her, trying to do the same with the knife. “So she’s already used to it?” Ilia offered to exchange tools then, claiming it would be easier and safer for him to use the peeler instead. He complied. “That explains how she managed to sneak away while I was sleeping twice.”

Ilia giggled, moving on to the second carrot while he still struggled to peel one third of his first. “No offense, but anyone can sneak away without being caught. You snore too loudly.” She swore his cheeks were red with embarrassment a moment later before he complained that it was too hard to work with the peeler.

* * *

In the evening before the parting day, Link was not wearing any of his Twili clothes, nor Zant’s gigantic helmet. “The hood should keep you safe,” Rusl said, passing the thick piece of cloth to him along with a golden mask he would use to conceal his face and identity. “Secrecy is everything.” Link nodded in understanding. If he wore the pieces he brought from his home, it would attract too much unwanted attention and would surely render them some problems. The new clothes of similar fashion to his own, but of brown shades and not as many colors as the typical Ordonian clothes he saw the people wearing in the little village.

After sunset, when twilight hour was nearly ending, Link decided to venture out of Bo’s house for the first time, accompanied by his daughter who would give him a tour. Still scarred after the incident on Gerudo Desert, he would choose that they travel only during the night if they ever presented him with the option, but he knew that things would not happen that way.

Ilia led him up the trail to the ranch they told him about, and from the foot of the hill he could already smell all the goats they had; twenty, maybe a little more. She made a small talk to a tall man trying hard to lead them inside their pen, a man perched high on a creature like any other he had seen. “Prince Link,” the man, Fado, if he had heard it right, called for him, “this is your horse.” He said while dismounting, brushing away Ilia’s apprehensive glance with a wave of his callused hand.

Link stared at the animal, a beautiful red equine with shiny white mane and dark glossy eyes. He chanced a pet on her long nose, his palm got wet when its snout touched and pressed hard into it. “She’s looking for apples.” The girl mused aloud and the man he just met excused himself, retreating to the stables to find some fresh fruit and vegetable. “She needs a name.”

The mare moved to sniff his neck next, as if hoping to find something there, which forced the prince to take a step back. “Any ideas?”

She shrugged and ran a hand up and down her left arm. “She’s yours, you pick.” He raised his eyebrows, mouth falling open as he understood the true meaning behind the words “she’s yours.” And here he thought he was only borrowing the horse for a little while.

His eyes squinted as he stared at the darkening sky. It was best to give her another name, but he was already so attached to that one. “Epona,” the word tumbled out his mouth in a nearly incoherent murmur and he duck his head in shame, wondering if his pet would miss him much.

“That’s a nice name.” Her hands laced behind her back and she smiled, the wind blowing and ruffling her short pale hair.

“Yeah,” he heard as Fado finally exited the stable, his footsteps soft on the grass. “My bird seemed to like it as well.”

* * *

It was with great effort that Prince Link stepped outside Bo’s house in the following morning when the sun was just rising, dissipating the twilight and coloring the sky. Not wanting to give them more trouble than he already had, nor wanting to let them know the events that unfolded in Gerudo Desert left him scarred still, he was able to mask his unsure steps as he walked out the door and into the outside world, balling his hands tightly so he would not wring them in anxiousness.

Ilia accompanied them outside. The poor thing could barely keep her eyes open and was every now and then wiping small tears away, occasionally covering her mouth whenever she yawned, but kept a smile on her face. Bo talked to her quietly, saying what fathers said to their daughter before they left on a trip – be careful, do not open the door for strangers, do not go outside at night by yourself, remember to eat – while Link moved away towards the nearest shade he could find, escaping the orange light.

Rusl emerged from a house on the other side of the stream, on the far right, and stopped right after as he turned around to bid his wife farewell, hands on her swelling stomach. Link averted his gaze to give them privacy as their son, Colin, appeared at the door still in his pajamas, and the prince crossed his arms, eyes focusing on the running water ahead of him.

Just a little longer, he told himself, teeth pulling at the skin of his lips. Just a little longer and he would meet her again. It was surprising, even to himself, how much he was anxious to find his dear princess once more. He sometimes wondered if it was the things he went through two days ago that led him to desperately want to see Zelda again and make sure she was safe. Deep in his heart, Link was aware that she was unharmed, but he could not help but worry and hope.

One by one, the villagers rose with the sun, and the village of Ordon gradually grew busier. Those who passed to wish them a safe trip tried to hide their curious stares, but in reality, he did not truly mind them; he knew he would have done the same if things were different between the two realms. Link replied to them, tried to put as much gratitude in his voice heavily laced with accent for they could not see it in his eyes or face hidden behind the golden piece, and nodded to each one of them, hoping they would understand that he was not hiding on purpose, he just could not really step out into the sun without protection.

The kids were still sound asleep, though, with the exception of Colin. Link did not get to talk to them, he limited his time outside on the previous evening to a short thirty minutes tour or less if possible, but he knew they were always there trailing behind them, hiding behind bushes, not being as stealthy as they hoped. He had, however, turned once to wave, but they scattered away, leaving Ilia deeply ashamed of their behavior and apologizing profusely for it.

“Prince Link?” The meek, shy voice snapped him out of his thoughts. Link noticed the blond head out of his peripheral vision and looked down at Rusl’s firstborn child, standing there staring down at his feet.

He crouched down to better speak with him, smiling even though the kid could not see it. “Good morning to you, Colin.”

The boy’s cheeks were dusted pink and he looked up just long enough to answer. “Good morning, Prince Link.” His smaller hand disappeared inside his pocket and fished around until he found something and offered it to the Twili, arm outstretched and hands closed in a fist. Link blinked and lifted his up turned palm, where Colin dropped a brooch. “A parting gift to you.”

The brooch was made of old silver, about the size of an inch and shaped to resemble a wolf’s head looking forward right at him. Link stared at it – oh the irony – before he pinned it to the tunic they lent him and shifted around until the sun was hitting his back, his face safe from its rays. Colin watched apprehensively as the prince brought a hand to his face and lifted the mask a little so he could see his lips curling up in a smile. “Thank you, Colin. I shall be wearing this the next time we meet again.” The kid’s face flushed bright red and he wobbled away back to his mother when she called, and Link slipped the mask back down and stood up, walking towards his horse when his two companions did the same.

Ilia gave him a pat on his shoulder, hesitant to touch him in the slightest without his permission, and offered some advice on riding horses whilst the prince tried to mount his second Epona. He knew it would had been best for him to practice the evening before, but he had decided against it and used that time to visit the Spirit Spring instead, and now he could only hope that his lack of skills would not slow them down.

“This is fine,” he shifted onto the saddle, Epona neighed and leaned into Ilia’s palm as she held her in place by the reins. “Shouldn’t be so hard.”

She laughed and gave him the reins. “Just don’t fall.”

It would not be so different from riding a bird, still he chuckled and promised her he would not fall from the horse, and softly kicked his heels on Epona’s sides to get her to move. On their way out, Link stared at the tree house until it was out and away from his view. The only place where he had not been taken was there, and in addition, Ilia did not comment much on it, only that it had been abandoned and empty for at least half a century. 

They backtracked his steps up to the point where they found open gates leading to the small cavern he crossed, passing by the two springs and the hanging bridge, and turned left towards the hut he spotted not that long ago, waving and greeting the young man that sat on a log by an unlit bonfire. Following the path, they ended up on an open field, its inclined terrain leading to a castle in the horizon. His heart sped up at the sight of it as their horses went faster as well, and they followed the downhill path, passing by trees on higher grounds, a wooden bridge and some pools of water on their way there. Link hardly thought of the sun and the light, hardly paid attention to how sweaty he was under heavy clothing, and naturally followed his guides, eyes focused on the building.

Hyrule Field, as Bo said the region was called, was vast and wide, or at least that portion was. They said one day he would get to visit all provinces and travel through all of the field, see all the different sceneries Hyrule had to offer. As they spoke, he grew eager, though he could not tell if the feeling surfaced because of the possibility of exploring unknown areas or if it was because with every gallop they inched closer to Zora’s Domain.

Riding a horse was not hard. Weird maybe, but not completely difficult and that certainly had to do with the birds from Twilight Realm. To ride a Shadow Kargarok you needed to have perfect balance; perhaps that explained why he had not fallen yet, but his wife did while trying to fly on one. Horses were not like birds. When they walked, you had to sit and unwillingly bounce with the rhythm, while birds glided smoothly through the air and you could allow yourself to melt completely on their backs if desired. Horses were bigger and sturdier, birds were lithe and fragile. Horses were, undeniably, prettier than Kargaroks, though.

It felt odd the way he seemed to rock on the saddle as Epona trotted through the field, and Rusl and Bo seemed to be having a better time than him. Eventually, he would get the handle of it, or so Link hoped, until then he would have to deal with the foreign, but not unwanted, feeling of riding a horse for the first time in his life.

The trip took an entire day, with about four pauses for water, rest and food. The bridge leading to the town was just ahead of him when they arrived about two hours after sunset, ready for some well deserved night of sleep. Link had the suspicion that they pushed through so he would not have to wait much longer than that to meet with Princess Zelda again, but he said nothing, not when they arrived, not when the two Ordonians were discussing the best course of action.

Castle Town was still crowded with people when they entered and parted ways so Rusl could get the horses to the stables and Bo could take the prince out of view. The city was bursting with life, children slowly retreating to their homes, merchants selling goods on their stalls, and other citizens just walked about, occasionally purchasing fresh fruit or bread, or colorful flowers sold by an old woman and a young girl. The ground was made of neatly lined stone, however still uneven enough in height so one could easily trip if they were nod minding their footing. The buildings, too, were made out of stone of about the same shade as the ground.

There were pets as well, both dogs and cats, that wandered the streets and sniffed his feet, either wagging their tails or trying to rub themselves against his leg. He fought the urge to crouch and play with every single one of them, and simply followed the mayor through the markets ways and down a set of stairs. They found a patio there, crates and boxes pilled outside, and a single simple door, a sign attached to its left on the wall. It read simply “Telma’s Bar” and Bo pushed inside, and Link went behind him.

The inside was illuminated by flames that cast an orange glow around the room. It was quite a simple place with modest furniture that was neatly arranged about the space, peers shared tables or lined up on the counter and drank and laughed, the air smelled of ale and food. The prince decided to stick by the mayor instead of standing by the door, which he guessed would have drawn too much attention to him, and tugged on his cloak so the shadows could hide the golden glint of his mask.

Bo leaned on the counter and a white cat with a pink ribbon around its neck approached him, prompting the man to scratch its head absentmindedly. He was later joined by the dark skinned woman behind the counter, her long red hair tied up in a ponytail and her olive eyes glinting mischievously. “Didn’t think I’d see you around here.”

She reached for a glass, but he silently told her not to with a shake of his head. “No one was expectin’ that Rutela’d suddenly get sick, I think.” He said grimly and clasped his hand around the younger man’s shoulder. “Can ya rent us two of your spare rooms?”

Telma, who Link guessed was the woman talking to them and the owner of the bar, peered at him curiously for a moment as she retrieved three keys from a drawer. “Would you like some dinner?”

“Perhaps after the bar’s closed up?” Bo pushed Link to the right towards a door he had not seen there before, and she nodded with her lips pursed before turning away to tend to the rest of her clients.

He was allowed to bathe. His stomach grumbled whenever he heard the ding of the tabletop counter coming from the bar, but he tried to ignore it with vigorous scrubs to his arms and legs. Link most likely did not have a spare change of clean clothes, not that he was aware of, so he hoped that the steam in the bathroom while he cleaned himself up would help, and later he would hang them by the window of his bedroom where the wind could blow. In the meantime, he would wear the tunic and robe he brought from Twilight Realm that he managed to sneak in the bag.

Link had used Zant’s helmet to create a portal that would take him to Ordon Spring if needed. He hoped his brother-in-law would not get mad.

The prince sat on his bed later, smelling fresh despite his used tunic, and looked out the window at the roofs of the houses and the dark sky, counting the stars to pass time, listening to the seconds ticking away on the clock on the wall. Rusl had returned and was sharing the room adjacent to his with Bo, and they were probably talking now, there or in the bar. Colin’s father brought the white cat with him when he arrived, claiming Telma had said that one might just need company. The cat’s name was Louise and she was napping away on his lap, his fingers threading carefully through her fur.

Hours later, when he had already munched away at the fruits Ilia gave him to soothe his unsettled stomach, he was called to go to the bar. Link considered putting on the mask, but he felt like he could trust that stranger, and so he trusted in his instincts. Rusl was helping sweep the floor whilst Bo cleaned the tables, and Telma looked at him standing at the door expectantly as she placed a plate of food on the counter and silverware with it.

Just to be sure, he glanced around the bar before fully stepping out the hallway and awkwardly sat on top of a round bench placed before the food. “Now, ain’t you an exquisite one.” She commented with a smile, sliding him a glass of cold water. “It isn’t every day that I see one of your kind.”

Link toyed with the fork briefly, “Thank you,” he said, then added quickly, “For the food, I mean.” Her smile grew wider and she went back to washing the dishes. Louise appeared in that moment and jumped onto the counter, looking back and forth between him and the plate pleadingly. He scratched behind her ear, earning a purr, and cut a small piece of the chicken thigh, which he offered to her.

“This is Prince Link, Telma,” Rusl said from the back of the bar, “From Twilight Realm.” The woman looked up from the plates at the man who was eating, his hunched form and red face telling her he was embarrassed to be caught in that situation. “He is Princess Zelda’s husband.”

“Princess Zelda’s?” Her eyebrow arched, and Link nearly scarfed down the following two forkfuls of food. “Well, that girl managed to catch a fine prize, didn’t she?” The prince choked, coughed into his palm and quickly drank all the water in the glass. Telma merely laughed quietly to herself and resumed her task.

“We’re gonna escort ‘im to Zora’s Domain tomorrow.” Bo provided as he moved a couple of chairs away so Rusl could clean under the table. “He came lookin’ fo’ her.”

Louise meowed, pawing at Link’s hand. Telma made a disapproving sound in response and the cat lowered still head, but the prince offered her another piece of meat. “See? This is why she never behaves.” He grinned bashfully and continued eating.

* * *

The next day, they departed a little earlier, before Telma opened the bar again. She gave them more food for the trip and wished a safe travel, and Rusl assured her they would return by the end of the day – excluding Link.

Sellers were putting up their stalls for another of work, and the trio scurried away quickly before the streets became too crowded. Link eyed the flowers sold by the senior woman and the little girl again, wishing he could get some for his wife and Rutela as a gift, but they would probably whiter until they reached their destination. Still he halted, which made the other two men stop and watch, and he approached the stall quickly, patting his pockets for anything he could find. The only things he had that were worth some money were the ring around his finger, the brooch given by Colin, and the crown on his head.

A hand rested on his shoulder as he stared at the roses and lilies in despondency, and the soothing voice of Rusl rang in the air. “I’ll pay for you.”

Link wanted to decline, but at the same time, he really wanted these. “Thank you,” he settled to say as the man gave the woman some colorful gems and the girl wrapped up two bouquets of the nice smelling flowers. “I’ll pay you in double.” Rusl brushed him off, and the prince nodded his head repeatedly at the sellers in thanks whilst he backed away with the gifts in his arms.

Epona neighed loudly in joy and nuzzled his head when he approaching, then dipped her own to smell the flowers, causing him to put them as far away from her mouth as possible. They left Castle Town and followed the path leading right, the bouquets placed in a basket attached to Bo’s saddle. The trail was a long one surrounded by more tall rocks, a recurring thing he saw every now and then scattered across the land.

It was midmorning when they reached the northern portion of the field. Link could hear the river and saw the curved bridge that crossed it, few trees grew around away from each other and they stopped by the nearest one to drink some water and stretch their legs. Rusl then led the way to stone wall on the north, the galloping of the horses going from barely audible to highly noticeable as they left the grassy field and trotted on hard, solid ground, following it up until they found a small cave on the left corner.

They dismounted, Link only after both his companions already had their feet on the ground, and approached the entrance, peering inside the darkness. “This path leads to Zora’s Domain.” The prince stared in disbelief at the bald man and was glad he could not see the expression on his face. “Just follow it, lad. It’ll take ya there.”

He was hesitant to go. He had explored enough caves for his lifetime and did not want to walk through another one so soon, but there was no other choice. Link stepped over the bigger rocks that were in the way and turned to retrieve the flowers from Rusl’s hands. “We will take Epona back because she cannot go.” The horse whined, his hand itched to pet her once more, but Bo was already leading her away.

Link bid them farewell and thanked for their help, and simultaneously they turned around, each one going their way. Once the light from outside could no longer illuminate the way, he took off his glove and snapped his fingers, creating a small flame that would do the job. It was cold in there, colder than the other ones, but he had faith the trek would be a short one. He could still hear the river, the sound growing louder, clearer, and another splash was added to the noise, the sound of water falling.

His glove was back in his hand once there was light on the other side. He emerged from the tunnel, squinting his eyes just slightly and taking in the scenery. There were five waterfalls, some of them being one of the biggest he had seen yet, falling onto a big pool of water surrounded by a small portion of land. The water ran along and away until he could see it no more, disappearing after a gentle curve on the terrain. Enough water for the fish people, he mused with a smile.

“Hey, you!” He stilled, hands forcefully gripping the bouquets, and turned to look at the armed Zoras approaching. “Who are you?”

Link swallowed, “I wish to see Princess Zelda.” It felt uncomfortable to look at them. They wore helmets that concealed their identities; without being able to see what expression crossed their faces, he did not know what to think or do next.

The two guards stared at him for a while before looking at each other and calling him to follow. They went up the path, its left wall carved in many arches that allowed him to see the scenery from above, until they reached the top of the waterfall and he stopped to take it all in. It was where he stood that he had envisioned both Zelda and Ralis in his dream. Remembering it now, the heat he felt right after had been a sign of what waited for him upon his arrival in Gerudo Desert. He shuddered and kept walking before the guards lost their patience, going the opposite direction of the water.

On the upper level, there was a deep pond of water circled by some steps, the origin of the largest waterfall. The Zoras there turned to look at him, and he wanted to touch his face self-consciously, but decided against it, thinking they could take any movement as a treat. The gaps of the arches around him were filled with patterns of organic forms, one was not equal to the other. The sound of the water added to the light grey and blue complexity of the space gave it a calming, serene feeling, and his body naturally relaxed.

The arch in the center was not closed by intricate carved vines made of coral, and behind it in the secluded area there was a throne made of smooth rock and decorated with coral, and upon it sat no one other than Zelda.

She glanced up from the paper in her hands when the guards announced their arrival. She was dressed differently, a purple and white dress, long gloves, golden spaulders on her shoulders and jewelry resting over her bosom. Her crown was also different, bigger, less delicate, made of gold with one lonely blue sapphire in the front; it greatly resembled his own. Zelda gave the papers to a Zora to her right and stared back at Link’s masked face quizzically, until her eyes enlarged and she slowly stood on her feet. “Link?”

He ran to her. The flowers fell from his hands to the ground and the guards shouted, made to follow with their spears pointed, but the princess had opened her arms and circled it around his shoulders, his hold on her tight and lifting her off the ground. Her fingers grasped his cloak, he fought to remove his mask without dropping her and once he did, he buried his nose in her hair, in the crook of her neck, smelling her scent and breathing hard against her skin.

She was safe and they were together again, he thought, relief washing over him.

The people around them appeared to be frozen in time, watching as their princess and a stranger embraced each other. Zelda pulled away, holding his face in her hands and smiling widely at his matching grin. “I found you,” he said sounding nearly breathless, his sharp blue eyes searching her face. “I found you.” She nodded, her thumbs tracing circles on his cheeks. “This is the best birthday gift I could ever have.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Post chapter notes:
> 
> \- I haven't really reviewed this, so I'll mention what I remember  
> \- I thought that making Ilia and Link interact like that would be a great allusion to their friendship in the game  
> \- Making Link flustered because of Telma's actions was a top priority  
> \- Also I tried to copy Bo's accent from the game but I don't know if I succeded  
> \- I like the ending very much, and I hope you do too


End file.
